recent email exchange w my bro in eugene, or.
Subject: RE: dude!
Hey man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's great to hear from you, sorry I've been so lazy on the keys!
Well I haven't seen the Gator movie but I certainly know the weird story, egomaniac super partying skater turned psycho killer. When the movie came out I heard an extensive story about it on NPR. But does the movie offer something further then the story that makes it a must-see? I can't say I'm too enamored of spiraling-to-destruction movies
.
Subject: RE: RE: dude!
dude!
just finished my deadline, and GOSH DARNIT am I happy.
yes, the movie. i DO like movies about people spiraling to destruction, but thats not why i thought youd get a kick out of it. through telling the story of this dude (who, yes, was a complete imbecile) they wind up telling the story of the mid-80s skate scene in a really interesting way the rise of the scene, the death of vert, etc. it also makes some really interesting points about how the whole sponsorship, making-stars-out-of-these-dudes machinery works, & sort of raises moral questions. plus there are some kickin hardcore ditties on the soundtrack.
its also kind of an interesting study in the guys psychology, you know, like putting together the ingredients in his life that could have led him to do it. yeah, ive always kind of been fascinated with people who take that plunge - who make that one really stupid mistake, and wind up behind bars for the rest of their lives. prison, man. nothing is a world-of-suck like prison. in the movie, the only input they have from him is this kind of eerie voice recording from a prison phone played over shots of him skating in his heyday, and hes talking about how sorry he is and how he screwed up his whole life.
when i was reporting in Delaware, one of my first stories was to interview someone in this maximum security prison. the whole atmosphere in the place was so fucking depressing. truly dead-men-walking.
then later, i covered this story about these two brothers, (i may have told you about this) they were like 20 & 18, from this fairly well off middle class beach family anyway, one day they killed their friend no one knows what happened exactly even to this day they all got in a fight somehow at their house and man, these two just bludgeoned the fuck out of this dude. our photographer at the time picked it up IN PROGRESS on the police scanner, and we arrived at the scene just moments after they hauled these two dudes away. i saw the guys body in the doorway. ill never forget it. it didnt even look human. one brother had been using a knife, and the other was using a fireplace tool. blood was everywhere.
the crazy thing about that story too was that somehow, unbeknownst to the brothers, the dude they were killing had dialed 911 on his mobile phone during the act, so THE WHOLE MURDER WAS CAPTURED ON TAPE. they played the tape later in court. it was the eeriest fucking thing. to hear this guy (who himself was a total criminal, it turns out) pleading for his life, and in between just these, thud, thud, thud sounds - it sounded like somebody punching hamburger. the dudes last words were, Was it worth it, Wes? Was it worth it? then the even crazier part was that ok: so put yourself in these dudes shoes youve just bludgeoned a guy to death in your living room in a moment of anger, your adrenalin is pumping like mad youre thinking, oh shit, weve just done a horrible thing. weve got to get rid if the evidence, then THE PHONE RINGS, AND ITS THE POLICE ASKING WHATS GOING ON! can you imagine what must have been going through this guys mind? talk about an Oh shit moment. in court they also played the tape of his talk with the cops when they called. it was fascinating to hear him break down during the call. he didnt know they heard the whole thing, so first he tried to come up with some lame excuse but of course it all fell apart within minutes. then you hear the cops arrive to haul em both away.
now theyre both behind bars for the rest of their lives - in the same prison i did those interviews in.
they were both skaters too, ironically.
so, whats the moral of this whole twisted tale? IF YOU SKATE, YOU WILL KILL. Dude: you skate, therefore you will KILL. turn yourself in before its too late!
Subject: RE: RE: RE : dude!
Ah! LOL!!! I have been feeling a little close to the edge!!!! But you skate too. Shouldnt you turn yourself in too?
Subject: RE: RE: RE : RE: dude!
em, well, yeah, sure dude. here, you go ahead and pave the way, while i wrap up our affairs. then ill be in there with ya in a couple of days!
Subject: RE: dude!
Hey man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's great to hear from you, sorry I've been so lazy on the keys!
Well I haven't seen the Gator movie but I certainly know the weird story, egomaniac super partying skater turned psycho killer. When the movie came out I heard an extensive story about it on NPR. But does the movie offer something further then the story that makes it a must-see? I can't say I'm too enamored of spiraling-to-destruction movies
.
Subject: RE: RE: dude!
dude!
just finished my deadline, and GOSH DARNIT am I happy.
yes, the movie. i DO like movies about people spiraling to destruction, but thats not why i thought youd get a kick out of it. through telling the story of this dude (who, yes, was a complete imbecile) they wind up telling the story of the mid-80s skate scene in a really interesting way the rise of the scene, the death of vert, etc. it also makes some really interesting points about how the whole sponsorship, making-stars-out-of-these-dudes machinery works, & sort of raises moral questions. plus there are some kickin hardcore ditties on the soundtrack.
its also kind of an interesting study in the guys psychology, you know, like putting together the ingredients in his life that could have led him to do it. yeah, ive always kind of been fascinated with people who take that plunge - who make that one really stupid mistake, and wind up behind bars for the rest of their lives. prison, man. nothing is a world-of-suck like prison. in the movie, the only input they have from him is this kind of eerie voice recording from a prison phone played over shots of him skating in his heyday, and hes talking about how sorry he is and how he screwed up his whole life.
when i was reporting in Delaware, one of my first stories was to interview someone in this maximum security prison. the whole atmosphere in the place was so fucking depressing. truly dead-men-walking.
then later, i covered this story about these two brothers, (i may have told you about this) they were like 20 & 18, from this fairly well off middle class beach family anyway, one day they killed their friend no one knows what happened exactly even to this day they all got in a fight somehow at their house and man, these two just bludgeoned the fuck out of this dude. our photographer at the time picked it up IN PROGRESS on the police scanner, and we arrived at the scene just moments after they hauled these two dudes away. i saw the guys body in the doorway. ill never forget it. it didnt even look human. one brother had been using a knife, and the other was using a fireplace tool. blood was everywhere.
the crazy thing about that story too was that somehow, unbeknownst to the brothers, the dude they were killing had dialed 911 on his mobile phone during the act, so THE WHOLE MURDER WAS CAPTURED ON TAPE. they played the tape later in court. it was the eeriest fucking thing. to hear this guy (who himself was a total criminal, it turns out) pleading for his life, and in between just these, thud, thud, thud sounds - it sounded like somebody punching hamburger. the dudes last words were, Was it worth it, Wes? Was it worth it? then the even crazier part was that ok: so put yourself in these dudes shoes youve just bludgeoned a guy to death in your living room in a moment of anger, your adrenalin is pumping like mad youre thinking, oh shit, weve just done a horrible thing. weve got to get rid if the evidence, then THE PHONE RINGS, AND ITS THE POLICE ASKING WHATS GOING ON! can you imagine what must have been going through this guys mind? talk about an Oh shit moment. in court they also played the tape of his talk with the cops when they called. it was fascinating to hear him break down during the call. he didnt know they heard the whole thing, so first he tried to come up with some lame excuse but of course it all fell apart within minutes. then you hear the cops arrive to haul em both away.
now theyre both behind bars for the rest of their lives - in the same prison i did those interviews in.
they were both skaters too, ironically.
so, whats the moral of this whole twisted tale? IF YOU SKATE, YOU WILL KILL. Dude: you skate, therefore you will KILL. turn yourself in before its too late!
Subject: RE: RE: RE : dude!
Ah! LOL!!! I have been feeling a little close to the edge!!!!
But you skate too. Shouldnt you turn yourself in too?
Subject: RE: RE: RE : RE: dude!
em, well, yeah, sure dude. here, you go ahead and pave the way, while i wrap up our affairs. then ill be in there with ya in a couple of days!
Edited to tell you that you are such a chill dude, it would be so bizzarre to see a look of worry on your face. I think you take this lack of money thing WAY smoother than I would. Props, man, Props...
[Edited on Jul 04, 2005 7:51AM]