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Director and co-writer Stacy Peralta created
Dogtown and Z-boys, an unusually
entertaining documentary about his
pubescent years with the reckless,
revolutionary, and multicultural Zephyr
skateboarding team. These misfit kids called
the Z-boys (and one Z-girl) won over
audiences and judges alike at the 2001
Sundance Film Festival. Dogtown took home
two documentary awards: Best Directing and
Audience Award.
Compared to other skate teams in the mid
70s, the Zephyr team was a rare sight; these
inter-racial (Latino, Asian, White and African
American) kids were united by their love of
the sport. What mattered most to this
Mafia-like Zephyr crew was respecting the
credo of "Doing it first, doing it harder, and
doing it better."
Dogtown co-writer Craig Stecyk transmitted
the nascent cultural phenomenon through
words and photos in what was known
worldwide as Skateboarder magazine's
"Dogtown Chronicles." The hardcore vertical
skateboarding originating in Dogtown ("the
surf barrio" between Venice and Santa
Monica Beaches) became infamous and has
since changed the face of skateboarding.
Stacy Peralta spoke to us about his
buzz-creating documentary:
The cholo Mexican gang culture in
Dogtown influenced the Zephyr team's style
and logo. What else made the Zephyr team
unique?
SP: We weren't the typical surfer-boy,
skater-boy team. We were the first urban
skateboard team to ever exist and that
threatened people. They were like: 'Wait a
minute. These guys aren't like us. They don't look
like us.' This was a team made up of a diverse
cultural mix. I'm a quarter Mexican. Tony Alva is
Mexican and Indian. There was Shogo Kubo who
was Japanese. Peggy Oki, an Asian female. You
just didn't see a mix like that. We had a Black
surfer on our surf team and back then you just
never, ever saw Black surfers.
MG: Craig Stecyk has said the Zephyr team
broke up so quickly because there were just
too many "alpha-males." What was it like
getting all the Z-boys to come together for
the documentary?
SP: First of all we had to hire a detective to find
two of them. One of the members didn't want to
do it for money reasons. Luckily, Craig verbally
mauled him and eventually got him on board. Jim
Muir was just as hardcore. He threatened me
below the jaw! [laughs] He said, 'Look, I trust
that it's you and Stecyk doing this. For that
reason I'll get on board and give you everything I
got. But if you screw up, I'm gonna kick your
ass.' When he saw [Dogtown] for the first time,
he glared at me long and straight. Then he said,
'You can relax. It's okay.' That was all he said, so
I thought, 'Okay, he's pleased.' Most of the other
guys were really excited to be able to do the
story. In fact, Wentzle Ruml said, 'Man, I can't
believe you're calling me right now. It's not that I
just want to be in this documentary, I have to do
this. I have to say this right now.' From the
moment he landed in California he started telling
these hilarious stories and I knew he was going
to be a great interview. During the first shoot he
made me laugh so hard, I had tears running out
of my eyes. I had to leave the interview. I mean
I was convulsing. Once we shut off the cameras
he walked up and told me, 'I don't remember
anything I just said.'
MG: This is an independently made film about
the roots of a subculture. Is there any
antagonism towards going mainstream?
SP: This was financed by a shoe company and
never once did they tell us you have to give us a
plug or make this feel like a Vans movie. We don't
feel like we've made a commercial or sold out.
This is about eight misfit kids who created
something against all odds that has been
embraced by children all over the world. As a
result of that, we'd really like to see it get out
there as much as possible.
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