Interview: Michael Brooke of Concrete Wave Magazine, continued:
What has been your biggest setback?
Distribution is a toughie. We are constantly monitoring how the mail goes with respect to subscriptions…On behalf of the US postal system, I apologize to all those who get their subs a little late.
The Concrete Wave TV shows seem to be a different entity entirely. Is the relationship in name only?
The show has really come into its own. The production company, JST has got 52 episodes under its belt. I helped with the initial development of CW TV and once a year I meet up with JST to offer segment ideas. However, as I like to say, “if you like the show, then I had a tremendous amount to do with it. If you hate it, then I had nothing to do with it!” The reality is that CW TV has certain parameters it has to follow (ie showcasing certain types of skateboarding to appeal to a specific demographic) where as the magazine can do pretty well what it pleases. The fact is that CW TV has been great publicity for the magazine and has given folks insight into areas of skateboarding they may never have seen on tv.
Concrete Wave seems to be in a unique position to compile and release older footage. I was surprised that Downhill Motion was not a Concrete Wave Edition. Do you have any plans for future releases? For instance, Skateboard, the Movie hasn’t seen a proper release, and Skateboard Madness ‘ DVD release was shoddy. These are goofy films to be sure, but still poplar and important from a historical standpoint. Also, Skater Dater is missing in action as well.
You bring up some good ideas and we’d be happy to lend our name and our giant marketing machine (HA!) to any dvd release. We worked with Bart Saric on his new film Skinned Alive. So, I am putting out a call for projects. We are working with Mike Hirsch and his history of southern California skateparks dvd.
Where do you weigh in on the Chinese wood controversy.
Simple. It’s not about China. It’s about the blurring of the lines between mass market and core skate companies. China is a just a symptom of a very larger game at play here. For many years we’ve had boards made in China…but they were made by companies who were mass marketers (ie Nash, Variflex). The lines have been blurred now. There is nothing remarkable about a cheap skateboard. The genie is out of the bottle and margins are going to start eroding worse than they already are…bigger players will step in and you are going to see ONLY very big companies and very small companies…the medium sized skate company will find things increasingly difficult. Too big to compete with the small (lower overhead type co’s) and too small to compete with the giant multinationals.
The question is what do we do put the genie back in the bottle? How do we ensure a healthy multi sized market? My answer is plain and simple…you have to expand beyond rails and ledges and the under 18 market that targets only guys. They have put all their eggs in one basket…and it’s a basket that folks can copy very easily (in fact, some would argue that the Chinese do a pretty good job at a much lower price). The customer votes with their wallets. Here’s how most short board customers are voting: blanks and Chinese decks with nice graphics. But the truth is that on many occasions, the customer isn’t aware they are buying Chinese. The lines are blurred…it creates confusion and chaos.
I can only present my opinion here….and for what it’s worth, the move to China was the end result of the skateboard world becoming a victim of its own success. It became so big, so lucrative and so irresistible to outsiders that this was bound to happen. I don’t fight it…I can’t fight it…I just move onto other worlds. This is why I have clearly defined what Concrete Wave stands for. Our world showcases all types of skateboarding…and most of our advertisers get their wheels and boards made right here in North America. If they ever became huge companies, I would hope that they remember what made them special in the first place. Again, there is nothing remarkable about a cheaper skateboard. We need cheaper skateboards for a certain part of the market. But you can’t be a little bit pregnant…Being CORE and a MULTINATIONAL doesn’t really fit, does it?
If I was running a smaller skate company, I would make sure that my company stands for something and if I was running a medium size skate company, I would double my efforts to stand for something. There is an onslaught coming and it won’t be pretty. Those medium and small skate companies must continue to create remarkable products and marketing them in brilliant ways. Otherwise, they will be toast.
Do you think that by ignoring or downplaying the issue that the other magazines are being responsible editorially, or is it ridiculous to treat a skateboard magazine like a respectable news source?
We feel it’s our duty to tell the stories that other skate mags refuse or don’t wish to cover. It makes us different. I am fully aware that the other mags have different editorial agendas. That’s their freedom of the press. But, what is it the other mags wish to accomplish? What do they stand for? My reaction, after seeing them for so many years ignore everything but rails, ledges and the occasional vert shot was to create CW.
Where has the Christian Hosoi coverage gone? He’s been out long enough for everyone to put him on the cover again but for some reason he is absent. Hell, Thrasher barely made mention of his release, and didn’t even have it posted on their website in a timely manner. Discussion boards were more on top of the ball and interested then the magazines were.
For CW, we would love to a full story..we ran a table of contents pic as way to show respect. Juice did a great interview with Christian. I am sure we’ll get round to it – but it will be a totally unique piece…and it takes time to find the appropriate angle. The Hosoi ordeal was also covered in other media – namely Sports Illustrated. It was a low hanging fruit type of a story. It’s kind of easy to cover it when so many others are covering it…but we will do something extraordinary on Christian when the time is right.
How are the various Internet skateboarding communities are important to skateboarding culture?
Absolutely vital. I spend a huge amount of time answering people’s posts. I read a lot of posts. If you’re in magazine publishing and you aren’t on the boards, you are missing something. It’s all happening in real time and it’s interactive. That’s a powerful medium….but people still need and love print. I will continue to embrace whatever the internet brings. We are working on some pretty cool technology…more on that in a few months.
You’ve announced the book project for the Lords of Dogtown movie. There seems to be a lot of buzz preceding this film, from the Concrete Wave camp in particular. Why do you think this movie will be any different than past media attempts to capitalize on skateboarding? One could argue that this movie has the sanction and participation of industry insiders, but then again so did Skateboard the Movie. Sure, Tony Alva may be more “lucid” at this point in his life, but Skateboard Madness was made entirely within the confines of the industry, and it was not exactly a showpiece, except in retrospect as a historical piece. It’s almost as if the Lords of Dogtown is expected to propel the industry into another growth spurt. Do you think this movie will have a greater effect on the non skating public than the Dogtown documentary, and why?
The movie will have a tremendous affect on a lot of folks. Dogtown and Z Boys hit, at its height 70 theaters…this opens in over 2500…the marketing campaign alone is incredible… All I can say is that 30 years ago, the Z-Boys shook up skating, and 30 years later, they will do it again. Amazing, ironic and absolutely true.
How did you become involved in the book project, and what can we expect? What exactly is your part in the project and who else is involved?
I am putting together a behind the scenes book with key folks who worked on the film-limited edition run. You can get books from www.tailtap.com. The director is involved and some key folks at Sony/TriStar.
OK, time for a tough one. Given the choice between the book that is the companion to the documentary, and the book that is the companion to the dramatized version, wouldn’t it make more sense to buy the original pictures instead of people trying to portray the original pictures?
Aha, trick question…the answer is to BUY BOTH! But seriously, one is a film and one is documentary…there are plenty shots of both actors, skaters and original zboys…it’s a fun stew I am cooking!
Do you think that the actors and director will be able to do a decent job of representing the era? Have you been on the set at all? Will the necessary liberties taken be a disservice to skateboarding history or is this another case where it is ridiculous to assign so much importance to a Hollywood film?
Dogtown was based on a myth…this movie further embellishes the myth you have to take it in the spirit its presented and just enjoy it. Don’t assign too much to it. It’s hollywood… entertaining above all…
What does the future hold? When are skyhooks going to make a comeback?
The future will be amazing. More will be happening to skateboarding in 2005 than has happened over the past 5, maybe 10 years. It’s the culmination of tons things happening. Suffice to say we ain’t seen nothing yet. It’s going to be mighty interesting to see what happens with the Lords of Dogtown movie. As for Sky Hooks, you never know. The point is that the sky is the limit. This is the essence of skateboarding. No boundaries. No real rules…
Thanks to Michael for taking the time to do this interview. He actually wants to your feedback. You can give it to him direct via email – mbrooke(at)interlog(dot)com. Don’t forget to check out the Concrete Wave magazine web site for subscriptions, gear and information on upcoming print projects. If you liked this interview you might also want to checkout Michael’s blog, which is hosted on the Concrete Wave web site as well.
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