- Bowl Bash ’22 – Not to be missed!
- Now Streaming on Vimeo
After some time off of Netflix and iTunes, we’re happy to say we’re back in the streaming business at Vimeo. Check out the movie if you haven’t: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/skatopia88acresofanarchy
- This Rich Guy Likes Our Film!?! Thanks, Ted!
Who is Ted Leonsis and why is he talking up Skatopia? Not exactly our core demographic. But he wrote maybe our favorite (and briefest) review ever:
The Devil is in you”.
How is this as a jewel of a little skate park?
A film about leadership. And democracy. And anarchy. And of course skate boarding.
Free. And on demand. And all about a new Americana. Click to watch. An important film on SnagFilms.So… I had to click on ‘About’ to see what’s up.
Here’s the skinny: “Ted Leonsis is founder, chairman, majority owner and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns and operates the Washington Capitals (NHL), Washington Wizards (NBA), Washington Mystics (WNBA) and Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C.” He is also a Venture Capitalist who is the former co-CEO of Groupon, President at AOL, and…. ah ha! Producer of four documentary films! Including Nanking (which won a couple Emmy’s and a Peabody Award)… and… double ah ha! (ah ha ah ha?) the founder of Snag Films! The very place you (used to be able) to watch Skatopia for Free!!!!
So… the big question is… is it just self interest or did Ted really like our film???? And does a guy who sits in the owner’s suite at NHL and NBA games a hundred plus nights a year really care what happens in a maximum-anarchy skate scene in Meigs County, OH? Only Ted knows for sure.
Watch it tonight on Vimeo to see if you agree.
- R.I.P Nick McKnight
Last Thursday Nick McKnight, Skatopia’s long standing icon and mechanic died peacefully at Skatopia. He had just finished changing engines on a couple of the farm’s trucks (or should we call them “junk” the way he would?) He lay down for a little while and didn’t get up. He was in a place he loved, doing what he loved and we can all appreciate that. Nick was a huge part of our film and more importantly, our lives when we lived in Meigs County.
Here’s what I posted on Facebook on Friday:
R.I.P Nick McKnight… legendary Skatopian, friend of ours, friend of many. Meigs County born and raised. The world is a less colorful place without him in it. Our thoughts are with all the folks who were touched by his big spirit. You are already missed, McNugget.
- Controversial! Gritty! Scandalous! – Skatopia comes to Netflix On-Demand
Yep, those three words are how we’re described on Netflix!
Grab a PBR, disable the airbags and welcome those dirtbag skaters into your living room… click here to jump into the deep end: Netflix: Skatopia
- Skatopia on iTunes!
Yes, it is finally available for digital enjoyment! Download to own, rent it, be a critic for a night and write a review! If we get lots of hits this week we’re hoping to break into iTunes top 100!
And Android owners don’t despair! You can get in on the act at Google Play.
- Duane Peters drops in at Skatopia!
Celebrate our Philadelphia & Seattle screenings with a little 2006 mayhem at Skatopia. “Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy” in THEATERS in SEATTLE & PHILADELPHIA! Nov 16 to 22.
“Skatopia is a grimy bubble of pure freedom; a skateboarder’s dream and end-of-the-world Thunderdome all at the same time.” – Film Threat
- Skateboard Hips – Radical Music from Marginal Way Skatepark – Seattle
“Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy” is showing in Seattle for one week only at the Grand Illusion Cinema from Nov 16th to 22nd. Check out the Calamity Cubes.
- Skaters Invade Hollywood Blvd!
Maybe our Skatopia screenings in Seattle & Philly will be just as successful!
Nov 16-22 at 16:9 Cinema in PHI and Grand Illusion in SEA
Los Angeles police said they responded in force to a section of Hollywood Boulevard after a large group of skateboarders took over the heavily trafficked roadway Saturday night.Aerial video showed many dozens of people in the street, and a phalanx of patrol cars on Hollywood Boulevard. Officers were seen running toward the group, which began to scatter.
A group of 400 skateboarders were in the street, and the Los Angeles Police Department had responded with a modified tactical alert, according to Sgt. Rudy Lopez.
Shopkeepers had been advised to close their businesses and lock their doors, according to an employee of Juicy Burger.
The incident began about 9 p.m. near Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street (map).
A man identifying himself as an ESPN skateboard writer on Twitter was at the scene and tweeted about the ongoing incident, saying the crowd was in Hollywood for the premiere of “Bake and Destroy” at the Vine Theater.
“People were cool but then around 830 people were hitting each other with beer cans, throwing cigs at pedestrians & starting fights,” HaitianReggie tweeted.
More than 20 patrol cars were seen at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Ivar Avenue.
No other information was available as of midnight.
- Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy – new distributor, Screenings, iTunes!!
Garden Thieves Pictures is a new distributor for Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy. We’ll be screening Nov 16th– 22nd at the The Grand Illusion Cinema in Seattle, Washington, and the same week at the 16:9 Cinema in Philadelphia, PA. A multi-city tour to follow.
Also, we’re (finally) coming to iTunes. Look for us there on December 4 with more streaming options to follow.
Follow the action on our Facebook page or at the movie website.
- Great screening at New Filmmakers!
Many thanks to all who braved the blistering temps to wallow in the mud, beer and mayhem of Skatopia with us last night! And thanks to New Filmmakers for the great (cool) venue and presentation. Now GO SKATE!
- “Definitely makes squeal” Skatopia in Eastern Bloc at the DIY Film Fest
Minsk (Belarus): June 21-24,
Warsaw (Poland): July 5-8.
In the “Reclaim Yr Space” section of the DIY Film Fest
Nice description:
“After all, who said utopia should look the same for all 7 milliard of earthlings? Skatopia, skaters’ Mecca on the Appalachian farm could be criticized for the compromises they make and their hierarchy, but it definitely has something that makes squeal both schoolkids with brackets on teeth and old punks with beers, the reason why local hillbillies and traveling skaters year after year continue to dig and concrete… Everything for their dream.”
And what’s not to love about to this great festival blurb?
DIY FILM FEST is the first and the only cyclic movie event focusing entirely on counterculture and its creative influence on surrounding reality. DIY FILM FEST also attempts to redefine certain ideas and concepts. It is a homage paid to creativity devoid of particularistic and capitalistic values, as well as an invitation to everyone appreciating independent culture to document and archive its signs and achievements, assuring that they would get to wider audience.
DIY FILM FEST is also a realization of its authors’ dream, that is creating something with no budget, offer something for free, not requiring disinterested support, always offering something in exchange. The event itself is a particle of what we would like to talk about, which is broadly understood concept of DIY.
But above all, DIY FLM FEST expresses affection for cinematography free of formulas, taboos or stylistic conventions. Cinematography that is free in its form and content. Cinematography not depending on box office results, producers’ requirements or spectators’ clichéd preferences.
- Skatopia – Sk8 or Git!
An old (but long) blog entry about city boyz terrorized into believing that Convict IS Skatopia.
- I fink u freeky
We left the country but the country didn’t leave us!
- Film Threat – Skatopia: 88 Acres Of Anarchy
This new review on Film Threat spends so much time talking about Skatopia the place… it makes me think he must’ve liked the movie!
If someone told you that a bastion of pure, unadulterated freedom exists in the United States, where would you expect to would find that place? Unless your answer is “in the middle of nowhere, Ohio,” you’re probably wrong.
Brewce Martin’s Skatopia, all 88 acres of it, floats out in the Ohio wilderness. Part skate park, park skateboarding legacy and museum and part anarchistic commune, it’s a grimy bubble of pure freedom; a skateboarder’s dream and end-of-the-world Thunderdome all at the same time. Drop by and party at their huge blowouts, live on site, skateboard, set your car on fire, have your own demolition derby, engage in an orgy of fireworks (or just a regular orgy)… anything goes at Skatopia.
Laurie House & Colin Powers’ Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy offers an unflinching gaze at what this complete freedom looks like, for better or worse. On the one hand, Brewce Martin’s Skatopia community may look like skateboarder heaven: beer, drugs, sex, parties and all the skateboarding you can physically endure for free. On the other hand, as the song goes in Team America, freedom isn’t free. In order to keep this utopia afloat and self-sustaining, the folks who wish to taste of the freedom it offers must pay for it somehow.
For those willing to stick around and live on the premises, this price winds up being physical labor; skate and party all they want, but voluntarily commit to a number of “work days” on site. Every year, Martin works to not only cover all the bills but to improve Skatopia in any way he can, such as building more skating ramps, bowls, pools or buildings on the premises. It’s a very organic, “everything is connected” system. In order to throw the wild parties and events that bring in the money to pay the bills, Skatopia has to keep topping itself year in and year out, which requires expansion and improvement. The downside of this constant growth, of course, is that Skatopia is seemingly always just surviving in spite of itself. While it may generate more money each year, it also seems to cost more.
Still, for the freedom to live off the grid, do what they want the way they want to do it, it is worth some time digging holes or pouring concrete to keep the system alive. At the same time, it can be exhausting to motivate people into doing the work, and that’s where Martin excels as both godfather of Skatopia and task masker. In many ways, he leads by example. When he wants to get s**t done, he’s capable of plowing through the workday at a to-be-admired efficiency while keeping those around him busy at the same time. The problems come when he’s not around, and in the case of this documentary look into Skatopia, he winds up being away for a couple months stint in jail. The result is that the amount of improvements made at Skatopia before their annual Bowl Bash come to an almost grinding halt. Work gets done, mainly because no one wants to be around should the notoriously anger management-challenged Martin return and find nothing accomplished, but not to the extent that it would’ve happened had he been there the entire time.
via filmthreat.com
- It’s a Classic!? Turner Classic Movies is selling Skatopia!
From TCM’s website: “What else would you call a skateboarding-centric Utopia but… “Skatopia”? Observing everyday life on an Appalachian farm commune formed by hillbilly skating fanatics who maintain a demolition derby society otherwise governed by anarchy, this documentary reveals the rural location as a cult-like haven for enthusiasts looking to escape conventional attitudes of all kinds.”
It may be classic, but discriminating buyers want the Collector’s Edition.
- Skatopia Review: “Now all I want to do is go!”
Review the film called ‘Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy,’ released on 7/12/11.
I’ve been skating and watching skate videos for about six years now. I am also a big fan of punk rock and a lifestyle associated with it. Skatopia is the sickest video I have watched in a very long time though. It chronicles a year at Skatopia, a Skatepark in the middle of Appalachia, in which skating, music, and punk rock lifestyles are embraced. This video is like Bam Margera on Acid! I couldn’t help but laugh over and over at the crazy antics these skate punk hillbillies actually do. From mosh pits, to burning car – destruction and anarchy are shown in a true, real-life way. The skateparks in the video are amazing, and you would never think that you would find such a great spot in the middle of nowhere.
What makes this video so refreshing is that it encompasses the lifestyle of skating as well as skate footage itself. Just about every other video I’ve watched includes nothing but the skaters riding around doing tricks. That’s good and all, but Skatopia lets you into the lives of these kids. You can see the passion, the enthusiasm, the pain, the craziness, and most of all, the dedication. Watching the kids in the video work hard to build new ramps and snakeruns is so inspirational – I wanted to grab a hammer and nails right after I watched this video! I didn’t that available at that moment though, so I did the next best thing and picked up my board and went skating for a few hours, came home, watched Skatopia again, and decided that I definately need to make a trip to Appalchia sometime to check this place out.
Until I watched this video, I didn’t even know about this place. Now all I want to do is go! The bond everyone shares is something skateboarding is missing!
- The King Dong historical shredding – 10th anniversary footage surfaces!
This was my first Bowl Bash — hard to forget! Check out Chris Cudlip absolutely raging in the Lula Bowl – improvisation beyond belief.
via youtube.com - ?D*Face Ridiculous Pool Paint attack.??
Empty pools, spray paint and Dave Reul come together here (Salba too.) Check it out.
via youtube.com - Pomeroy Daily Sentinel – Bowl Bash tradition continues ‘88 Bands of Anarchy’ promised
The unofficial local chronicler of all things Skatopia… Beth Sergent taps in to how Skatopia and Walmart have more in common than you might think.
Bowl Bash tradition continues: ‘88 Bands of Anarchy’ promisedRUTLAND — Starting Friday, skateboarding pilgrims will flock to the hills of Rutland Township for the 16th Annual Bowl Bash at Skatopia which promises “88 Bands of Anarchy.”
Bowl Bash is an unofficial and offbeat tourist destination that “dare not speak its name” in the hallowed halls of officially sanctioned Meigs County events though it still brings in visitors who spend money here.
This year’s event begins Friday well into Sunday morning with those 88 bands playing on three stages – bands like Nassau Chainsaw, Green Jelly The Snotty Kids, The Stink and The Cooties. It’s an annual weekend of music, skating and tired eyes watching the sun come up over a Rutland hollow. As usual, no tickets are sold for the event though a donation is greatly appreciated for admission, according to Brewce Martin, owner of Skatopia.
Yesterday, Martin and crew were busy preparing Skatopia for the bash and its pilgrims; pilgrims who have likely read the Rolling Stone spread or seen the documentary “88 Acres of Anarchy” and/or the MTV Skatopia True Life episode – and they want to know more. The True Life episode which was broadcast this past April, featured footage shot at last year’s Bowl Bash – the episode was aired across the nation on the Emmy-award winning series, casting a light on a small but notorious corner of Meigs County.
Myths, rumors and truths about the place aside, Martin has claimed his place “isn’t just a place to party” and that “99 percent of the time out here it’s just normal life going on.” Martin has also poked fun at the Skatopia stereotypes, saying it “isn’t full of poverty-ridden dirt bags” though he’s admitted it attracts a diverse population when it comes to those pilgrims who arrive at the gates.
“This is the funny thing, there are all kinds of people here just like when you go to Wal-Mart…you don’t know who you’re going to see,” Martin has said in the past.
A complete list of bands can be found on Skatopia’s official website.
- Black Flag – TV Party
Everyone should have TV party every couple weeks! Check out Skatopia’s party – The Bowl Bash – this coming weekend! We’ll be down with Collector’s Edition DVDs, T-shirts & more. See you there.
via youtube.com - Paul Strauss on life on McCumber Rd., Rutland, OH
The multi-talented Travis Dove has created a short video about our former neighbor Paul Strauss and his cantankerous determination to stick to the non-material, nature-focused path he’s been on for 40 years. Raise a home brew to the tough minded sonsabitches like Paul who make getting to know your neighbors a great reason for living.
Skatopia is half mile over the hill. Look for an extended video featuring Paul and many of our great Appalachian neighbors on the Collectors Edition of Skatopia The Movie.
- One more from FESN
The other day I discovered these guys playing pool… here’s the raw stuff… plus don’t forget to order the advanced copy of the Collector’s Edition DVD – www.skatopiathemovie.com/. And save Skatopia in your Netflix queue!
via youtube.com - pool anyone? and i’m not talking transition hereI’d never heard of FESN before now… but they sure can cut a video! check out the rolling coping… plus don’t forget to order the advanced copy of the Collector’s Edition DVD. And save Skatopia in your Netflix queue!via youtube.com
- Skatopia need your help on Netflix!In order to get our film into Netflix we need thousands of people to “SAVE” us on their queue! Type Skatopia in the search bar and hit “Save”. If we get enough saves, they’ll buy our movie. Tell all your friends, tell your grandparents, tell the kids on the playground!
- Great review: 100 Words Or Less: Skatopia: 88 Acres Of AnarchyThis little review escaped our notice lat spring… Thanks Flicksided!
100 Words Or Less: Skatopia: 88 Acres Of Anarchy
Steve DiMatteo | May 12, 2010 | 0 commentsSkatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy is a documentary that follows Brewce Martin, the man who has brought anarchy to a small Appalachian section of Ohio. He runs the aptly-named Skatopia, a haven for skateboarders, misfits, and all those who live a nomadic lifestyle. This self-sustaining community of people who never seem to stop getting drunk or beat the hell out of each other during a live punk song on a tightly-packed stage also manages to put together one of the best areas to skate in the entire country. Martin’s personal quirks and issues make this a perplexing, almost tragic, but ultimately engrossing look at a true subculture.via flicksided.com - Skatopia and ‘True Life’ – see how Reality TV meets reality
This weekend watch MTV’s True Life to see how a newcomer handles Skatopia…. lets see how Reality TV meets reality! You weigh in… did they get it right or not?
Skatopia and ‘True Life’RUTLAND — Skatopia is a destination with its share of myths, rumors and reality – all captured in an upcoming episode of MTV’s long-running, Emmy award-winning series “True Life.”
The episode is slated to air on April 9 on MTV and consists of footage shot at last year’s Bowl Bash – an annual weekend of music, skating and tired eyes watching the sun come up over an amphitheatre in Rutland Township.
Skatopia Mastermind Brewce Martin said he’d been in talks with a production company to shoot the episode in 2009 but due to an injury he sustained, the filming was pushed back to Bowl Bash 2010. The film crew was on location at Skatopia for around two weeks in June of last year, again, focusing on the annual bash.
Martin hasn’t seen the finished episode though he says he hopes it captures what he feels several people have missed when it comes to Skatopia by focusing on the sensationalist aspect of the place – a place captured in the documentary “Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy” and within the pages of “Rolling Stone” magazine.
“It’s not just a place to party and 99 percent of the time out here it’s just normal life going on,” Martin said.
Poking fun at what some see as Skatopia stereotypes, Martin said his skating Mecca isn’t full of “poverty-ridden dirt bags” though he admits to attracting a diverse population when it comes to those who make the pilgrimage.
“This is the funny thing, there are all kinds of people here just like when you go to Wal-Mart…you don’t know who you’re going to see,” Martin said.
“True Life” is notorious and celebrated for showing viewers an intimate view of life, reality and the versatility (and often ingenuity) of its narrators. The series began running in 1998 and attempts, according to MTV, to provide a window into the struggles, hopes and dreams of young people – episodes are narrated by its characters and each episode documents the unusual (and often remarkable) circumstances of real individuals.
Skatopia will join a long list of episodes which have examined everything from soldiers returning from Iraq to young people living with tourettes or struggling with food addictions – the topics are endless. As for how Rutland Township’s Skatopia will translate with the MTV audience – if the episode is real, it’ll be classic “True Life.”
- Weird Soviet (Ukranian) pop number from late 60svia youtube.com
This reminds me vaguely of The Prisoner… only less linear (!?)
- Grossest Skating Injury Ever – Duane is the ultimate survivor!
Last year the Master of Disaster, Duane Peters took a normal fall, and faced a whole new disaster. His leg got infected. Click on the photo below if you have a strong stomach… it’s nasty. You can also hear him talk about it in this video. He’s also got tons of awesome stuff on his website. His son Clash is featured in our film when he was less than one year old. Now he’s skating with Dad!
- Newbeats – Bread And Buttervia youtube.com
There’s nothing to say… just sit back and let your jaw drop… then hit replay.
- Dustin Dollin 7 Day Weekend Prt 12 ( Skatopia)via youtube.com
A really shakey vid from Dustin Dollin… he manages to catch almost nothing of interest, but I had fun ID’ing friends & legends. It was my first Bowl Bash… 2005.
- Summer fun! Every surf video trope known to man!via youtube.com
- Filmmakers can use ripped DVD footage without getting busted for “piracy”Some USC law students have won a major concession from the US Copyright Office on how documentarians (isn’t there a better word?) may use material from copyrighted works. In particular, it allows that material from DVD’s (protected by the DMCA) may be used in manners consistent with Fair Use and that filmmakers not be prosecuted for pirating the ripped material.
Obviously, if you’re venturing far into these realms, you need to understand your rights of Fair Use and should still consult an attorney before distributing your work. (More on Fair Use below.) But the great news is that relatively attractive footage can be obtained for free or little money… where previously either low grade (VHS) or expensive (studio masters) where required. Here’s an excerpt from the USC bulletin announcing the success:
USC Intellectual Property & Technology Law Clinic Wins Copyright Exemption for Filmmakers
Monday, Jul 26, 2010
Documentary filmmakers now allowed to use material
-Gilien Silsby
A team of USC Law students from the USC Intellectual Property and Technology Clinic has helped secure an exemption that will allow documentary filmmakers to use material contained on DVDs and other sources that were previously off limits.
The exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was announced today by the United States Copyright Office. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 makes it a crime to break the digital locks on DVDs and other media. The restriction prevented filmmakers from making fair use of material, or using public domain material.
via lawold.usc.edu
To really get a handle on what Fair Use is and the legacy of legal decisions that support the concept the best source that I’ve ever found remains the Center for Social Media. Check it out then go make a great mashed-up commentary! - Jeb Corliss the flying man
I had seen some brief videos of base jumpers and their wingsuits, but today saw an editor’s reel that featured this “wingnut”.
Corliss is pretty wild – his dream is to land from a free fall without a parachute. He wants to build a giant landing ramp that he would slide down stomach first (at 110 mph or so) to come to an eventual halt.
In the meantime, he keeps practicing ever more extreme flights to refine his control while flying the wingsuit.
In his most recent video he decides to get a close up look at Switzerland’s geology:
- Skating – Harley’s – Customizing – The NYT needs a little Jason Jesse!
The NYT just put up an article about skaters and motorcycles… it promised something about a “cafe racer CB350”, but never delivered… stayed locked into idolizing 70’s Harley’s… boring! Problem is, if you’re going to cover Harley’s & skating you better not miss Jason, but the newspaper of record did. But still I liked this quote from the article:
The design theme skateboarders often strive for is distinct from “rat bikes,” a breed that fetishizes matte finishes over glossy paint and rust over chrome. There is a “Road Warrior” quality to many skaters’ bikes. Mr. Eusey’s Harley, for example, has a hatchet bolted to the frame (handy when camping out) and foot pegs made from railroad spikes.
Here’s a little video clip about the guys in Indiana featured in the story…
Full article is here - Skatopia hits PBS – video clip of Brewce Martin & Laurie House
Skatopia hits PBS… Brewce & Laurie Video Interview
Laurie House and Brewce Martin of Skatopia are interveiwed by Thom Hallock of Mountain Lake Journal about Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy. The movie will be playing June 11 at 11PM at the Lake Placid Film Forum.
- Mountain Lake PBS talks up Skatopia – who’d ah thunk it? Tonight at 8:30 – Tomorrow Online
This Week on EXTRA
June 3rd, 2010 @ 8:30pm
LAKE PLACID FILM FORUM
The Lake Placid Film Forum is celebrating 10-years, with special guests including actors Hal Holbrook, Parker Posey, and authors William Kennedy and Jay Parini. The festival host screenings of 2 locally produced films, The Summers of Walter Hacks by Vermont filmmaker George Woodard; and Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy by filmmakers Colin Powers and Laurie House from Essex, New York.
For information on events and screenings: www.lakeplacidfilmforum.comSKATOPIA
We’ll talk with filmmaker Laurie House and Brewce Martin, who is the force behind the outrageous skateboard park in rural Appalacia.
DOUBLE FEATURE
Our film critic Rick Kisonak has his own mini-film-festival with a double feature of 2 of the summer blockbusters: Robin Hood and Macgruber.
via mountainlake.org - Skatopia at the Lake Placid Film Forum!!
It’s fair to say that this’ll be the only time Skatopia shares the bill with Hal Holbrook and Parker Posey! Come check us out in Lake Placid – June 11th at 11 PM!
skatopia: 88 acres of anarchy. june 11 at 11.
May 25, 2010 by tjbrearton
There’s a lot of talk out there about anarchy, about anti-establishmentarianism. There’s a lot of talk about living the dream. The creator of the real-place “Skatopia” and his constituents are doing it. Skating, hedonism, and the impulses of the id reign. Not for the faint of heart, “Skatopia” delves into the philosophies of aggressive patriarch Brewce Martin, a self-described dictator, and the mythos of his disciples, prone to foul mouths, crash-up derby driving, and escaping from realities of life outside the park. Director of Programming for MLPBS Colin Powers and filmmaker Laurie House helm this down and dirty documentary.
“He comes to Skatopia for genuine reasons…to skateboard, get drunk, and [get] chicks….”
– Brewce, describing a regular visitor
Come for the skating, stay for the life.
Showing at the Lake Placid Film Forum Friday June 11th, at 11pm, Palace Theatre. Followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.
- SKATOPIA SOLD OUT AT MIDNIGHT!Thank You to all the intrepid midnight filmgoers! We never guessed we’d fill the theater twice in Athens. Thanks to Brewce and the entire crew from the farm for coming out again. And to paraphrase Frank Zappa, “Thank you Athens, Ohio, wherever you are.”
Photo courtesy of David Hooker
- Jimmy the Greek killing it at Skatopia Church of SkatanThanks Eric for the killer shotz. This concrete pool no longer leaks thanks to huge work by the crew on the farm. Go Skate!
- Skatopia: By Popular Demand! Another Athens ScreeningThe Athens International Film & Video Festival has added a second screening for Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy after over 60 people were turned away from last weekend’s screening. This Wednesday April 28th at midnight.
- “Best Film?” One Reviewer Looks at the Athens Film Festival
This year there are some local films, that after speaking with Athena director, Ruth Bradley, could really contend to win Best Film. There is the film Skatopia that focuses on the Meigs County skate park. Bradley said that this could be the biggest of all of them and it was almost sold out when I spoke to her on Wednesday. This is a local film with local people and is being shown to a local audience. This is really cool especially for local filmmakers because the movie industry is so tough to break into and now there is an opportunity for a local production to break into the market and be shown to an audience that has vested interest in this product.
Nice write up from WOUB TV that interviewed Laurie the day before the show. - Nice write up for Skatopia: 88 Acres of AnarchyNice write-up for our Skatopia documentary in the Parkersburg News & Sentinel.ATHENS, Ohio – A Parkersburg man who has created a hardcore skateboarding haven in rural Meigs County is the subject of a new documentary to be shown during the 37th Athens International Film and Video Festival, which opens Friday and runs through April 29 at the Athena Cinema at 20 South Court St. in Athens. “Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy,” about Brewce Martin, will be one of the competition films opening the first night of the festival. It will be shown at 9:15 p.m. Friday. It was produced by Headlamp Pictures of Plattsburgh, N.Y., by director Laurie House. This year’s lineup features new independent films from around the world selected from an all-time record number of entries, officials said. More than 250 titles were chosen from 1,100 submissions by a selection process that started in October. Martin grew up in Parkersburg where he was a paperboy for The Parkersburg News, covering a route in Vienna for a year in 1978. He won his first skateboard in a Parkersburg News and Sentinel contest for paperboys and at the age of 12 he went to city council meetings to try to get a skateboard park built. He graduated from Parkersburg Catholic High School in 1983, the same year a half-pipe was built in City Park as the first local skateboard attraction. Martin went to college in Florida and has traveled around the world in the years since leaving Parkersburg, visiting 33 countries. He returned to the Mid-Ohio Valley for a period in 1993, living on Progress Ridge Road. On Feb. 1, 1996, he started Skatopia near Rutland, Ohio, about 20 miles from Athens. In the years since, Skatopia has become a mecca for hardcore, underground skateboarders. The place has been featured in mainstream and skateboard media, including Rolling Stone, on MTV and in Thrasher magazine. Tony Hawk, Bam Margera and many other famous skaters have visited and are featured in the movie. Skatopia is featured in one of Hawk’s videogames. In addition to a wide range of skateboarding terrains and other attractions, Martin has also created a skateboarding museum on the site, with many skateboards and other items he’s collected over the years. The first production skateboards started coming out between 1959 and 1961, Martin said, growing out of rollerskates and scooters instead of surfboards, as many people believe. “Life is a struggle, that’s what the film is about,” Martin said of “Skatopia.” For years, he has been following his dreams but said any dream requires work, struggle and hardship to achieve and maintain, whatever it is, and there is always good and bad to be dealt with. Martin believes a little work on a daily basis adds up to a lot of accomplishment, which he believes is illustrated by what has been accomplished at Skatopia. At the film and video festival, cash prizes are awarded by guest jurors in four categories: documentary, experimental, narrative and animation. Awards will be announced on the final day of the festival. Competition shows before 5 p.m. are free admission. Admission to International Feature Showcase films that begin before 5 p.m. is $5 and all shows after 5 p.m. are $6.50 for adults and $5.50 for seniors and children. Tickets can be purchased at the Athena Cinema. The full schedule of screenings is available at the festival Web site at www.athensfest.org.
Film looks at city native – Parkersburg News and Sentinel.com
- Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy – OH premiere!
“SKATOPIA: 88 ACRES OF ANARCHY”
Athens International Film and Video Festival – Opening Night
Friday, April 23 9:15pm @ Athena Theater in Athens, Ohio
(tickets avail at box office)
AFTER PARTY! Join Brewce Martin, many Skatopians and the Filmmakers
for the local premiere and after party!
(Skatopia is just 20 miles south of Athens in Meigs County)
People are saying…
An inspiring story of building an empire with your own rules.
– Denver Examiner
Skatopia gives visitors… a taste of the absolute freedom they think they want.
– Rolling Stone
Completely even-handed, the film is… something that really needs to seen to be believed.
– Highsnobiety.com
It’s what you learn how to skate for… its living.
– Dustin Dollin, Pro-skateboarder - Hey SoCal – Don’t miss this film premiereThis looks great – Newport Beach Film Fest. Look for Duane Peters and Steve Olson and a cast of thousands:
This film chronicles the rise and fall of The Cuckoo’s Nest,’ a famous Socal Punk Rock Club that was not only the birthplace of slam dancing but a key incubator to the surf, skate and extreme sports culture of today. During the late 1970’s ‘The Nest’, as it was known, played host or was home to almost every influential and soon to be famous punk bands including: Black Flag, The Ramones, Iggy Pop, TSOL, The Dead Kennedy’s, The Circle Jerks, Fear and The Vandals, whose song, ‘The Legend of Pat Brown,’ chronicles one of the more famous incidents at the The Nest. The saga of the The Nest and its owner Jerry Roach is one of the great untold stories of punk rock, until now. - The 2010 Interpunk American Skate FestIf you haven’t been to Skatopia, you’ve got no excuse now!!! Check out the lineup for the skatefest in June:
- Santa Barbara Photo GalleryA collision of Skatopians, Skatanic Rednecks and the Santa Barbara Intl. Film Festival… click on the photo for more…
- Read All About It! – COVERAGE!The Santa Barbara Independent wrote us up and interviewed Brewce last week. Check out what the “indy press” thinks about hillbilly anarchists.
Remy Stratton came up from the wilds of Orange County to experience the good life in SB… check it out here. Enjoy! - Watch Daily Habit Today and Friday!!Fuel TV’s Daily Habit is featuring Brewce and Laurie talking about the documentary, Skatopia and the Santa Barbara International Film Fest that we just played at. Showtimes: Thursday, Feb 18 at 9PM and Midnight EST, Friday Feb 19 at 2:30PM and 5:30PM EST. Converting these times to your time zone is your responsibility… don’t take it lightly!
- Santa Barbara Intl. Film Fest February 9 & 12Skatopia the Movie is coming to Southern Cal! Finally. Yes, fans, you too can vicariously burn a car, throw beer, mosh and check out the famous Skatopia stripper pole.
We have two screenings – be there!
Tue, Feb 9 10:15 PM at the Metro 4 Theatre IV
Fri, Feb 12 9:30 PM at Victoria Hall
Details on other mayhem to follow soon!
- Just when you were crying about the King Dong!A NEW BOWL!
Brewce (who’s double vision is finally clearing up since the accident) scores the huge donation of the year! Tim Clark kicks down with an entire 11′ wooden bowl in brand new condition! It is presently being installed in the “Church of Skatin'” metal building which now sports a mezzanine level and an extension to handle the new bowl. THANKS TIM! Check out this page of photos. - Nieratko vs. MartinDon’t know why I never found this awesome interview before. Chris is a great writer and the only guy who asks questions like, “You ever roll around in cow shit?”
- Skaters Reclaim Hotsprings!Despite being known as most skater-hating place in the US…
Arkansas Cop Joey Williams Choking
Skateboarder on Go Skateboarding Day
photo: Skylar Nalls
Hot Springs rolled out the red carpet for Skatopia, Brewce, the filmmakers and dozens of skaters from all over Arkansas who came out for the screening of our film. Check out the photo gallery here or the slide show below for the full picture.
Generated By The Acme MiniSlideShow EMBED-O-RATOR// - Hot Springs UpdateThe Event: Hot Springs Doc Festival – Julien Nitzberg’s Wild Whites of West VA and Skatopia are playing at the same festival! Talk about Convergence! The Crew: Brewce, Brandon, Bubba, Keegan, Clay and BooBoo made the scene in the skatopia limo. Got kicked out to their first hotel for skating in the parking lot with a pitbull chasing the board… nearly got kicked out of the second for having a passed out skater sleeping in the front seat of the limo… skated the Dreamland park in Little Rock, hit Vino’s for pizza and harassed a “trance” band at Maxine’s. Going great, so far. Hot Springs! Hidden gem of the Ozarks – this place kills it. 100 documentaries, a karaoke strip club, Maxine’s Pub, Skatopia Crew is on hand.! What more can I say? Tonight the screening with Black Death All Stars Afterwards!
- Hot Springs News!After Party at Maxine’s with the Black Death All Stars!!!
The documentary screening before ours is about Sailor Jerry legendary tattoo artist! Yeah!
- Back from Amsterdam and off to Hot Springs!A great trip to Amsterdam – a place where people live in shipping containers
trees are made of rebar…
the water is full of crazy reflections…
and coffee shops sell way more than just coffee…
When we walked by one of them, Liam said, “Hey, how did they know we were bringing our movie? They’re making Amsterdam smell like Skatopia!”
We rode bikes everywhere…
hanging posters and handing out postcards everywhere we could…
Saw some creepy stuff in jars at a science museum…
and a Russian submarine with a Volcom sticker!
We went to Skatepark Amsterdam, which rocked – a good sized indoor park in this crazy huge container shipping warehouse. It cost a million euros just to build the elevated platform the park sits on!
Our apartment was a block from the Red Light District which made Liam say, “Hey, those ladies are trying to be statues!”
OH YEAH, THE FILM!
The film received an excellent response.
De Uitkijk (you say “out-gike”, which means Look-out) Theater was very classy, served beer (even had little tables with drink order forms and a little buzzer to call a waitress) and the audience was great.
little tables
We followed up with a special screening at the Streetlab Gallery… special shoutout to Jeroen Smeets and RELOAD magazine, the folks at Streelab and Stan Postmus for making that screening an event!
At the end of the week we’re meeting the Skatopia crew for a screening at the Hot Springs Doc Festival. Be sure and tell any Arkansans that you know!
- Great featured write-up in Amsterdam
- Amsterdam & Arkansas – HERE WE COME!Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy was just accepted at the Amsterdam Internationl Film Festival AND the Hot Springs Documentary Festival!!! Our first trip outside the US with the film – with support from RELOAD magazine and hopefully some other sponsors as well. We’re trying to get Brewce a passport in time… The Hot Springs Festival is one of the oldest and most respected doc fests around. We’re stoked. Help us get the word out in Arkansas and Europe! Below is a legendary pic of Brewce from the Marseille contest around 2001 or so. Note that the board is short one wheel!
- Grind the Sink!
Who hasn’t dreamed of a house like this?
- Andy K. tribute
The entire skate world and many more mourned Andy’s passing. I didn’t think I could improve on the New York Times tribute below. Ironic that Andy was stung by a bee, and only a few months ago many of us where commenting on the irony of Brewce succumbing to a truck tire after living a life on the edge…
“I‚Äôve been skateboarding seriously for more than 20 years, and while I never met Andy Kessler, I know his life story. Most skaters over the age of 25 do. Born in Greece and raised on West 71st Street in Manhattan, Kessler started skateboarding when he was 11. This was in the 1970s, a time when skateboarding was so alien to New York City that he had to mail-order his gear from California. Significance-wise, think: Prometheus and fire. When other kids saw Kessler carving around the Upper West Side on his board ‚Äî which would‚Äôve been three inches wide with metal wheels ‚Äî they followed, and just like that, the East Coast skate scene was born. It was gritty, dirty, and beautiful, the shadow-version of the breezy West Coast surf-style. It still is.” <a href="http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/the-end-of-falling/?ref=nyregion">more
A final note in the Times about the Autumn bowl tribute.
- The Wiremans document the scene
- Skateboard Film Fest – Seattle Aug 15Red carpet treatment at the festival on wheels: www.skateboardfilmfest.com
- Prone to Violence tells their story … pilgrims headed to Mecca 2009Skatopia/Terry’s broken arm……… Well, it started awesome! A nine hour trip into nowhere fucking Ohio. Got there and mayhem ensued. Got there at about 4am or so and decided to survey the grounds. After moving our campsite a few times, we decided to play. We figured, this is supposed to be anarchy so we’ll play when we fucking want to, and we wanted to play at 8am in the morning. Fuck it. We woke all those burnt out skater right the fuck up, and they loved it… continues
- Portland OR – Next on the hit list!Brewce Benefit & Sneak Preview Tuesday Aug 11 at the Plan B Bar in Portland. Be there!
- Fire Riding at SkatopiaX-games had concrete this year… when will they add fire?
Richie Wireman
- Golden, CO – Watch out!
- LIVE from NEW YORK! IT’S SKATOPIA!
- an empire without zoning laws and meddling neighbors…Here’s a year old inteview I just discovered… get well soon Brewce!
- Skatopia makes the Playboy Top 10 skatepark listSomehow in the haze of finishing the film I missed this great plug. Also Michael Burnett, the photojournalist who put the Playboy thing together has a brand new book including Skatopia called The Outskirts of Awesome and lots of sick pics at his website, too. I’ll let you know about the book when I get mine.
- MINI-SKATOPIA IN NYC FOR SKATOPIA DOC PREMIEREPHOTOS, PHOTOS, PHOTOS !!! We did it! Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy premiered to a sold out plus crowd on Saturday night at the Tribeca Cinamas. We booked an adjacent screening room to accommodate the demand. NYC’s skateboard community showed up along with media from Rolling Stone and Newsweek to skate magazines. The Skatopians drove up en masse with their green plaid limo and mingled with innocent film goers. The film cut across all boundaries and got a hugely positive response from both skaters and those who have never been to Skatopia or touched a skateboard. The after party rocked with bands that have all played Skatopia – Black Death Allstars, Chuck Treece with McRad and Shat. It was a mini-Skatopia – complete with the latest Skatopia merchandise and free PBR donated by Pabst. Brandon Martin led the charge up from Skatopia in the green plaid limo with over 20 Skatopians. Amber, Brewce’s girlfriend, took a brief break from caring for Brewce in the hospital to join the party for 24 hours. The word from Amber is that Brewce is making great strides every day, but definitely has a long rehab ahead of him. Media and bloggers can email us for more photos. Check back tomorrow to see the video from the premiere. WHAT’S NEXT? Skatopia Film Festival Tour continues: Golden, Colorado on August 7 and 8 at Docuwest Film Festival Skatopians Rock the Front Range!! concrete, punk rock, plaid liousine Seattle, Washington, on August 15 at Skateboard Film Festival concrete parks, more Skatopians, another sell-out screening STAY TUNED FOR MORE FESTIVALS, MORE THEATERS, MORE SCREENINGS:
- SNEAK PREVIEW AT SKATOPIAWe’ve finally got some pics to put up! For those won’t don’t know, I (Colin) came down from upstate NY to show the nearly complete, work-in-progress version of the documentary Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy. So in a weird twist on reality, Skatopians watched themselves party at the bowl bash while at the bowl bash. The response was overwhelmingly positive, to our relief, since we figured this was our toughest crowd: The Experts. Everyone’s experience of Skatopia is different and we know there is still plenty left to show that doesn’t fit into 90 minutes. As most of you know, Brewce is recovering from an accident so he was not able to be the mega-host of the Bowl Bash as he has been for the past 13 years. Emotions ran high at times watching the movie. The screening and the party was great. Brandon and many, many great workers made it one of the greatest Bowl Bash’s ever. Click here for a gallery of Bowl Bash shots courtesy of Richie Wiremen.
- ACEfest Press ReleaseWell better late than never, here’s the “official” story of what the hell is about to take place…
- MORE TICKETS AVAILABLE – ACE FESTNewsflash – We sold out one theater and now there are 100 more tickets available. Got to the Ace site to get them. AfterParty: All Bands Confirmed Shat, McRad, Black Death All Stars – PBR flowin’ (21 & over – sorry) Here’s a rad old clip (not ours) featuring the Package on the way to Skatopia:
- Brewce Update, Premiere Reminder & MoreHey everyone, Brewce continues to surpass doctor’s expectations. He’s cracking jokes, messin’ with visitors, walking around his hospital room,etc. Looks like we’ll be seein’ the sk8pope back on the farm before too long. THIS SATURDAY, WORLD PREMIERE – DON’T BE SHY – BE THERE For all you tranny skaters, here’s some streetstyle like no other: CHECK it OUT THE LEGEND OF SAMUEL TORRES
- Bowl Bash Preview TimesWe’ll screen the film in the Movie Tent near the Museum Friday & Saturday 1 PM, 3 PM , 7 PM. Be there!
- Brewce UpdateMore good news from the hospital… he’s responding to instructions, moving hands & feet when asked, even with heavy sedation. Beginning to open his eyes. Blood oxygen is good. The dude is fighting back fast!! Keep the good thoughts and vibes flowing his way. And the Bowl Bash is only a week away. Concrete is being poured all week… weather permitting. Show up, donate, work, make something happen one way or another!
- Man down, but not outWell, most of you reading this already know, but Brewce was in a hit by an exploding truck tire yesterday. He’s in serious/critical condition, but friends & family who’ve been in to see him say he wrestling with nurses and trying to get up despite heavy sedation and semi-conciousness. No surprise – he’s got a party to get together! Send your best vibes toward the Huntingon, WV ICU, send your donations for concrete to skatopia.org. The party and the premiere are still on… just the way he’d want. Try not to call the farm unless its urgent. Bands can still get booked by going through skatopia Myspace page. Here’s a little thought for the day from the pope:
- Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy – World Premiere – NYC July 11Skatopians invade the Big Apple – Tribeca Cinemas 9:45 PM on July 11. Our film was a very late selection for the NYC indy film fest – ACEfest and… WE GOT THE BEST SLOT – Closing show on Saturday Night. The Skatopia crew will be on hand to party! Buy your tickets now! Tell your friends. We’ve want to sell this mofo out!¬† If we do, they’ll book another show! Here’s where: http://acefest.bside.com/2009/films/skatopia88acresofanarchy_acefest2009 (While you’re there, log in and rate our film so it will move onto the festival home page.) Also, if you’re in NYC or have friends nearby… get out the word for us. We’ll have stickers and flyers ready to go out shortly. If anyone wants to add our trailer to their blog, etc: here’s the url:¬†http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTgV44R_loU You can find the embed code there if you want to paste it into your page, blog, etc. See you there!
- SNEAK PREVIEW! BE THERE – SKATOPIA BOWL BASHYUP! THE FILM IS READY. We’re doing a sneak preview at Skatopia during the Bowl Bash. Maybe we’ll show another a few days before if we can get down there in time. We’ll bring a BIG screen, projector sound system & play it for y’all. Like we said: BE THERE!
- A couple of nice clips to start your weekHere is Dan Rea’s little recap of the 2008 Bowl Bash But I couldn’t leave out this incredible sequence that shows how far Skatopia local Morgan Burgess has come the few short years since we met him in 2005. He is a force to be reckoned with… and he ain’t even in high school yet!
- Walking PneumoniaIn honor of our son Liam’s diagnosis we bring you – Aerosmith.
- An urban twist on the bowels of the devil…
- Backwoods Blowout 14Everyone staggering back to their real jobs is still trying to find words to describe the mayhem that went down last weekend. Most have given up trying. For those who haven’t been paying attention, the Amity Whitelight Amphitheater is rapidly nearing ultimate completion. Expect electricity, Marshall stacks and amps that go to 11! Speaking of Amity – check her out grinding:
And McRad is scheduled for Brewce’s Birthday — Halloween! If you haven’t seen McRad, you haven’t lived. Also came across some fine photos from 3 years ago of some very extreme frontside action in the cradle at a prior Backwoods Bash. Also Amber posted this killer slow-shutter shot of Brewce that I had to paste in here.
- A lotta trash talk leads to (almost) nuthin.Waste your valuable time with these recent videos (not ours). The second one really shows how frickin’ steep and deep the Punisher is – and how hard it is to climb out of the deep end.
- More Clips Posted & plenty of action in web-landAfter a fine run on the Rolling Stone magazine website, we’ve posted the custom trailer on our own homepage and in the videoarchive. Also added is the famous, but hard to find “Nick Mcknight carves the Lula Bowl on a mechanic’s creeper” footage that has inspired an entire underground sport of its own. Check it out below the RS trailer. If you haven’t by now, check out Travis Dove’s Rolling Stone still photos in the mag. There’s an article in the local Meig’s County newspaper where Brewce adds a few thoughts on the milder side. Another article from Marietta on the kid in Travis’ full page photo. The forums have been back and forth on whether publicity is a good thing for Skatopia. My favorite entry is from a grumpy downhiller: “I’ll be the first on here to say that I’m glad that I don’t associate myself with that sort of culture. And I think that those sorts of images really help enforce the negative attitudes that skateboarding/longboarding gets from the general population.” (Be warned: Don’t click on the “dead filmmaker link or you’ll have to shut down your browser.) Other posts don’t have as much to say, but one photography blog has some scans from the Rolling Stone article for those who haven’t seen it. Best of all the photo blog led us to discover a piece shot at the same time we were filming the 06 Bowl Bash… a little tribute to Michah… a little on the sappy side… but hey, this was the channel that Al Gore started.
Even the fashion bloggers have something to say…
Finally, Slap Mag has a sweet little rambly video shot at the 08 ‘bash with some fine moments. Enjoy
- Video is Up at Rolling Stone!Check it out… a little dark and grainy on our computer… but pretty fun anyway. We’ll post it in beautiful Quicktime here on this site in a few days.
- Great articleRolling Stone article on Skatopia is out. Great photos from Travis Dove and some funny quotes from the dictator. The article isn’t posted on the web, so you’ll just have to go buy the mag. Look for a new video clip from us on the Rolling Stone website in the next couple days.
- Update on the MovieHere is the video clip we shot last winter to update folks on our movie progress. We pulled our temporary home page down and the clip had no where to live… so here it is. PLAY
- Go buy Rolling Stone! (next week)The Rolling Stone article on Skatopia will be out next week. If you haven’t already, check out Travis Dove’s photos (link below) Look for a new video clip on the Rolling Stone website, too. http://www.rollingstone.com
- Film ProgressFilm Progress: we’ve added a great editor and assistant editor, and really picked up the pace of editing. Special thanks to them for moving to Plattsburgh for the movie. The goal is to premiere at either Slamdance or Sundance Film Festival (Jan in Park City, Utah) or South by Southwest (March in Austin, TX). We’re pouring through tons of old footage… thanks to Charno, Dan Rea, Tom from El Destructo, Ryan Swisher from Rezzin, Indica and everyone else who sent us stuff. We’re going to shoot some interviews with the “founding fathers” of Skatopia, in the next month or two. Speaking of which, if you run into Little Eddie from Grindline, give him a hard time… I guess he’s scared of the camera… but he was there right at the beginning & built a bunch of good stuff and we know you want his story in the movie! Also, Travis Dove was shooting photographs at the bowl bash. He is a genius flying under the radar as a friendly, mild-mannered guy who mixes in with the crowd and takes his shot fast. But don’t be fooled. If you haven’t seen his stuff, check out his work at www.travisdove.com (for skatopia stuff go to stories / skaterats). Travis’ pictures will be featured in the Rolling Stone feature article about Skatopia later this year. Thanks also to the Edit Center in NYC, where students recently cut a bunch of scenes from the movie for their class. They gave us some great ideas.
- Blog issuesSorry the blog has been so f’d up. Try a different browser if it looks all messed up on your main browser. We’ll work on the programming to clean it up and get all our old blog posts restored (they’re lost like bodies in the woods around Skatopia.) Later
- Bowl Bash XIIIBack from Bowl Bash XIII. We were a little surprised to find ourselves down on the farm with a camera crew & our trusty pop-up camper yet again, especially after blitzing the 2006 Bowl Bash with an army of cameras, but there we were – sweating in the Meigs county heat, peeing in the woods and wearing the same dusty socks every day. We came to shoot the Independent Team attacking the bowls, but they were more interested in Skatopia’s unholy trinity of cars, fire and alcohol. And never sell Meigs County short. It may be the middle of nowhere, but it’s a crazy-beautiful place with great people. We swam in ponds & drove the back roads… people we ran into were always happy to stop and chat. Elbow room – that pretty much sums it up.
- Ice caps aren’t melting here…We have escaped the Skatopia vortex, at least physically, and have landed in a cold wintry place that seems like the opposite of Meigs County. Colin is working at PBS while Laurie is holed up in the edit bay, sorting through gazillion tapes and starting to edit. We are psyched to be getting tons of video from Tim Clark, who has shot the place for the last 10 years or so. The band Rezzin, who played at Brewce‚Äôs First Party Ever(!) is sending us their old footage, too. Thanks to all the others who have sent their old footage or crazy mayhem shots. If it doesn‚Äôt make it into the film, there‚Äôs plenty of room in the DVD extras‚Ķ Anyone else who has old stuff, you can make the film better by sending it on. We‚Äôll copy it and send it right back. We‚Äôre hoping to submit the film to festivals near the end of 2007. We‚Äôre sad to be gone, but upstate New York is pretty cool. Like the north pole but without the penguins. Just think, now you can go to Skatopia and no one will point a camera with two mics and a bright-ass light in your face‚Ķ. till we get back. Skatopia lives on in our 3 year old son Liam, who walks around without a shirt saying ‚ÄúI look like Brewce!‚Äù and who brings his toy cars to ‚ÄúNick‚Äôs garage‚Äù to get fixed after they get ‚Äústuginthemud‚Äù. He also thinks that firemen shoot fire out of their hoses, not water. You can send money for his future therapy. Brewce, Brandon and the CIA guys finished up 2006 with a big POUR and a big BURN. First a sick addition got poured around the Lula Bowl thanks to awesome December weather, major ‚Äòcrete fund contributions and a serious work party. Then we heard someone gave the CIA a nice Christmas Present of a CAR to BURN, which made for a very Merry Fire I‚Äôm sure. But we missed it‚Ķ
- Bowl Bash 11As Brewce’s new T-shirts proclaim, “CAMERAS INVADE APPALACHIA”. (Order one through www.skatopia.org) For the 11th annual Bowl Bash, we had 17 camera people, serious audio guys recording the bands, production assistants and so on… and food catered by Millies. Most people were nice to the crew, a few weren’t, but they probably weren’t being nice to anyone else either. A few broken cameras, a bruised ego or two and one ninja K.O… but whatever… we got awesome, awesome footage – motocross jumps over the lula bowl, sick bands, triple XXX skating by visitors & CIA agents, and the usual chaos that criss-crossed the line of “barely controlled”. We lost 3 camera guys to the party by the second night. Suddenly, we were shooting our own crew in the mosh pit & skating the bowls! Many stayed up and worked for almost 72 hours straight. They came from all points of the compass… California, Wisconsin, New York, Oregon, Chicago, Philly, and a bunch from Athens. Everyone added something unique and it was a super-cool group. THANK YOU! It’s a weird responsibility to take something like this and record it for the rest of the world to see. How much exposure is good & how much is bad for Skatopia? Most of Skatopia’s media exposure in the past has been fun, but usually hyped the same Skatopia myths. Looking beyond the myths at the reality is always trickier. We’ll try to do it justice. We’re starting to get serious about editing now. For all of those who have offered footage of Skatopia from the past, we really appreciate it. If we screwed up getting back to you, its because we were too busy shooting (same reason we’ve been so slow on new vidclips.) We’re setting in to work on Skatopia history now – so let us know if you have anything for us… We’ll get a bunch of stills from the party up in the next few days and follow up with some good vidclips. Thanks for the support. Hit that link on the “Hooked Up” page for our new stickers!
- The Run-up to the Bowl BashWe’re in the last week of Brewce’s incarceration. He’s been giving everybody at the farm big lists of stuff to do before the spring party. The lists go on and on… there are 37 bands already booked, PA equipment to be secured, ramps to be fixed, a bonfire to build, etc, etc. Most important: there is concrete to be poured. I put down my camera last week to spend a long day setting templates in the new expanded bowls around the Lula Bowl. They’ll be 5 – 6′ deep with a spine between them. One will wrap around the shallow end of the Lula and turn into a mini-halfpipe. The other side will be decided by the whims of the workers who show up to shape it. It’s your chance to help create a skatepark! Come out on June 1 & 2 for a major work-party to shoot ‘crete in these new bowls! ANYONE WITH ‘CRETE FINISHING SKILLS IS ESPECIALLY NEEDED!!!! . If you can’t make it, send a donation for the ‘crete fund. You can do it at the skatopia website: www.skatopia.org
- The sk8pope behind bars!!!This story began long before we started filming. Brewce was arrested in early 2005 after getting in a Thanksgiving brawl in Parkersburg, WV. It was over a girl‚Ķ He was essentially jumped by three guys (and a mom) who came to the fight with nun-chucks and a baseball bat. He grabbed the bat (from the mom) and fought back. After he left, the family called the cops. Two months later, the warrants were served. Anyway, for all of 2005, things are on hold. Brewce’s lawyer says “It’s cool. You’ve got a good case ‚Äì self-defense.” Brewce plays it all down to us‚Ķ and to his friends. Jury trial happens in Feb 2006. They throw out a lot of trumped up charges (felonies) and acknowledge that Brewce didn‚Äôt bring the weapons to the fight. But‚Ķ they want to punish him for his side of the fight‚Ķ (no mention of punishing the other fighters !?!) so they convict him of two misdemeanors. What does this mean? Well, got to wait for the sentencing hearing on April 10, 2006. Brewce and his lawyer still have some appeals to try out and some alternative sentencing requests. April 10: I ride with Brewce to see what is up with this. 8:45 am. He‚Äôs in suit jacket and clean pants. We‚Äôre blazing north in the fully graffiti-covered Skatopia mini-van with a broken CV joint vibrating like a mother‚Ķ Half way to court, I say, ‚ÄúSo, is there some possibility that you might not be riding home today?‚Äù ‚ÄúWell, it‚Äôs a possibility, but I‚Äôve already talked to the parole lady and she‚Äôs going to hook me up with a three-day a week deal. That way I can still get the farm ready for the Bowl Bash. I‚Äôll just go in to jail on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.‚Äù OK. I go into the court with my camera. A burly guard gives me shit for having an Oregon license and a Philly address on my business card. Won‚Äôt let me film. I sit in the back of the court. Only Brewce‚Äôs mom and baseball bat mom are there. First thing. The Judges says, ‚ÄúNo alternative sentencing.‚Äù Then, ‚ÄúNo appeals are relevant to this case‚Äù Brewce starts scribbling notes on the back of an envelope. Judge says, ‚ÄúThere is more than enough blame to go around in this case. It is significant that Mr. Martin did not bring the weapons to the fight‚Ķ‚Äù etc, blah, blah, blah. You are sentenced to two consecutive sixty day jail terms. Lawyer: Can he have a day to get his affairs in order? Judge: No. Brewce is emptying his pockets. I‚Äôm going whoa! Why can‚Äôt I film!!!!! Bailiff is snapping cuffs on Brewce. I‚Äôm going whoa!!!! Brewce is giving me this funny kind of smile like he wants to crack up. Later I learn he‚Äôs trying to send me telepathic message to run around to the side door where they‚Äôll take him out‚Ķ but my brain is not receiving properly. I‚Äôm busy thinking ‚ÄúOur film is so f***‚Äôd up now. The Bowl Bash is our big event this year. Ahhhh‚Äù I go out in hot sun dazed and shoot his mom‚Äôs reaction: ‚ÄúYou got to admit, he had a bad case of the dumbass driving over there that night.‚Äù The lawyer gives me the key to the ragged-ass van. It’s got no gas. I put a few bucks in and coax that broken CV joint back to Skatopia going 25 mph uphill on the highway and coasting down. Holy shit. No-one even knows yet. Not even Brandon!
- Ahhhh! we’re in the country![Note: Thanks to general crazyness, we are posting this blog wayyy late.] We’ve moved to Meigs County, OH… 2 miles from the dreaded Skatopia. We’ve rented a 185 year old house on a giant hilltop farm covered in junk cars, school buses and other broken metal stuff. Our first week we hit a deer on the way to town and destroyed our mini-van grille – the Meigs-icans loved that. Since then, the suspension has been getting beat to crap driving over the gravel roads and the doors got frozen shut because of Skatopia dirt working itself into in the latches. But we LIIIIIKE it. (as our kid says) Life is good, but we can’t escape our work… now we’re on call 24/7 to run down the road with the camera and get the latest crazyness on film (tape actually.) It is exhausting, but at least we don’t have Brewce on the phone saying “you should have been here… you missed it!” Now he’s on the phone saying, “get over here!” We’re psyched… the season begins…
- Skatopia in 16mm widescreen…Check out “Skate Na Veia” on Fuel TV Monday night (3/13) at 8:30 and 11:30pm. Jon Humphries travelled the globe shooting underground skating. One of his last stops was last fall’s Backwoods Bash. If you were there, they were the guys with the serious camera and serious lights (thanks Jon, Greg, & Ike) that made for the brightest Epcot Bean footage ever. I don’t know how much of the film is devoted to Skatopia, but it is sure to be cool. From the little bit we’ve seen, it looks like Jon and cinematographer Greg Schmidt came up with an amazing look for the piece. Watch the trailer here: http://www.divx.com/movies/detail.php?movieID=123&cID=6 Fuel TV gave Jon & 9 other filmmakers $100,00 each to shoot their dream film. Corey Adams won another cool million to make his film a feature. Here’s that story: http://www.globalsurfnews.com/news.asp?Id_news=20090 Here’s the blurb from the divx site: This documentary captures the soul of skateboarding by documenting some of the most intriguing personalities and stories in the sport. From the skate scene in Russia to the inspirational story of polio stricken Og de Souza, Skate Ne Veia exposes a dimension of skateboarding that few have witnessed… Featured boarders include Steve Berra, Diego Bucchieri, Danny Way, Lance Mountain, Sage Bolyard, Paul Fujita, Nate Broussard, Paul Rodriguez, Josh Falk and many more.
- wintertime in Ohio…We just got back from shooting the Skatopia/CIA skate team at the Evolution Skatepark Bowl Jam in Canton, OH. It‚Äôs got a killer wooden bowl built by Team Pain, two hips, 10 foot deep end, lots of speed lines. The CIA guys dominated ‚Äì a skatopia jihad as their shirts say ‚Äì Brandon, Busta, Morgan, and Dan took 4 out of the top 5 place in Expert. Adam took second in intermediate. Brandon raged consistently, high, and every grab in the book. I don‚Äôt know how he can hit so many airs back to back. Dan stuck a backside ollie to disaster onto the extension after the judges had already walked away‚Ķ Morgan‚Äôs layback revert was pretty old school for someone only 12. Busta pulled a sick cliff hanger/gorilla grab off the metal beam that I think won best trick. He also made killer trophies: mounted Sasquatch heads with eyes that lit up ‚Äì no hunting season on them in Ohio. Brewce is shipping the new Draven Skatopia shoe to skaters worldwide. Using the proceeds to buy more concrete, rebar, gravel‚Ķ all that good stuff that makes Skatopia work. Finally got myself a pair‚Ķ now I‚Äôm wearing them out doing everything but skating. And our son no longer says ‚Äúfuck you‚Äù, but all the way home from Canton we did have to listen to him saying ‚ÄúI named Brewce‚Äù. Whoa. Over the next season, we‚Äôll be living down there & shooting the stuff that happens. Next fall and winter we‚Äôll be editing. We‚Äôll keep new stuff coming on the web site up until the movie‚Äôs release, and we won‚Äôt give the ending away! Also, we‚Äôd like to thank the academy for recognizing us‚Ķwhoops, got ahead of myself. But we do want to thank everyone who got us footage and stills to help get this web site up. Dan Rea from PoolsnPipes.com gave us footage of Brewce and photos of the bowls at Skatopia. We got flying car footage from Mikie Swartz at WhiplashDVD.com and Turtle flying OFF the car from Chris Gomez with the Old Skars & Upstarts Tour. And finally, our awesome and talented friend Raegan Kelly made this web site happen. Thank you Raegan. Don‚Äôt forget: Buy Skatopia shoes, shirts, decks ‚Äì contribute for more concrete! www.skatopia.org.
- Laurie continues “way back when”The epic June party was coming up, so we committed ourselves to shooting the party without ever visiting Skatopia. We were paying for this ourselves, so our crew consisted of one camera guy and ourselves (Laurie & Colin). We also brought our son Liam (15 months old) and his babysitter. Yes, we did have second thoughts about bringing a young, pretty babysitter & our small child to Skatopia, based on the stuff we‚Äôd heard about it. Not much choice however. We found a pop-up trailer (Camp Documentary) and headed off. We made it very clear to our nanny and camera person ‚Äì we don‚Äôt know how many hours you‚Äôll have to work, we don‚Äôt know if the rumors about rape and guns, etc are true, and we don‚Äôt know if you‚Äôll be able to shower or where you‚Äôll be able to take a shit. Upon arriving, we scored one and lost one. We did have the cameras out right from the start (score one for camp documentary ‚Äì something is always happening at Skatopia!), but we didn‚Äôt make it all the way up the gravel driveway (minus one for camp documentary and Colin‚Äôs manhood, since he was driving). We looked out to see Brewce Martin – amidst a pack of howling pitbulls and mutts ‚Äì cackling at the city slickers stuck on the gravel drive. Brewce was a great host. Despite his reputation as a wild man he kindly helped us find the best spot to park our trailer so that the baby could occasionally get some sleep. He also took great delight in telling us when our cameras missed something great. 88 acres & 2 cameras. Sorry Brewce. We had arrived not really knowing if we were going to find pure evil or if there would even be a story there. But we left really, really psyched about the film. We knew we could make a film that would be a totally hot film for skaters but also a great movie even if you‚Äôd never touched a board. And though we didn‚Äôt know it at the time, we all left changed personally. In fact, during the next week, I made several really unsafe driving decisions and briefly took up smoking. Our son came back saying ‚Äúgit‚Äù and ‚Äúfuck you‚Äù. But mostly, Skatopia was a big bucket of cold bracing water in our faces ‚Äì a reminder to live and not just to exist. Well, that‚Äôs enough history for now.
