Spike has definitely made a name for himself in the
commercial industry of movie/music video making, but
he was, and will always have an integral role in the
BMX and skateboarding scenes.
Aside from being co-founder and an instrumental creative
force behind Girl Skateboards, Spike has also left a
filmic legacy in terms of skate videos.
Earlier on in his carrer, Spike did a lot of filming for Blind, including the phenomenal Video Days (1991) with Mark Gonzales, the film often considered as Spike's breakthrough. Aside from skate footage, the video also features a Buick being driven off a cliff. That's where it all began, skateboarding and gratuitous destruction...
I guess what really motivated me in filmmaking was the opening
sequence of the Girl/Chocolate video Mouse. It's
really, really simple, with just a guy dressed in a
mouse suit who does some skating, and his friend who
works at a fast food joint (w/Rick Howard and Mike Carroll). I know it's not an artistic
masterpiece or anything, but it was so imaginative,
and really had this childlike humour to it that made
me wish I was a kid again. Or, I guess it made me realize
that even though I'm not a kid, I can still direct that
energy into things that make me feel just as good.
Aside from the opening sequence, Spike also directed
the "Eric Chaplin" short with Eric Koston. It only lasted
about two minutes, and was filmed in a couple of hours
for less than $500, including filmstock, transferring
and post production. He also did the "Dinky" short
with Keenan Milton, which was based on an episode of
Wrench Pilot, a skate comic by Mel Bend (aka
Andy Jenkins).
Spike had a major role in the new Chocolate video,
the Chocolate Tour, as well. I have yet to actually see this video
since the skate shop here is selling it for $40, but if you
have any reviews or comments on it, I'd be happy to post them.
I do know that it got a good review in Big Brother (which
I know is sort of unreliable, but I'll take their
word for it until I hear otherwise.
This Skateboard section is the one I'm having the most
trouble with, so if any of you have any credits or
info on stuff he's worked on, I'd really appreciate it
if you could let me know. Thanks!
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