Behind the Scenes: Lords of Dogtown

Behind the Scenes: Lords of Dogtown
Compiled By: Catherine Hardwicke
ConcreteWave Editions
164 pages perfect bound.
9” x 10.75”
ISBN: 0-9735286-3-X
Copyright Date:2005
Review Date: 9/01/05

Err… aaahh… OK, by now everyone is well into the midst of the Dogtown and the Z-Boys backlash, so it was quite a gamble to produce a book on the making of a movie whose critical outcome had yet to be determined. Hollywood’s track record on dramatic portrayals of underground skate culture has certainly been funny, but more embarrassing than realistic. Overblown ego arguments have bubbled up about who actually invented pool skating and airs in the wake of the documentary, but Stacy’s first effort remains the best skateboard documentation from a historical standpoint. It was a relief to many that he was going to be heavily involved in the dramatic version. Maybe he could help make it a blockbuster without making real skaters cringe.

Maybe, maybe not. Lords of Dogtown is the least embarrassing of the big screen skateboard movies, and it’s enjoyable enough for the rest of the populace, but not hugely successful. So it’s “good for a skateboarding movie.” The audience for Behind the Scenes seems necessarily aimed at a younger crowd who, and more of a casual or beginning skateboarder. On the other hand, it contains the f-word in a couple of incarnations so don’t tell mom, OK? Behind the Scenes is basically a visual scrapbook of production shots and movie stills with hand written commentary from the principals involved, ranging from the director Hardwicke and writer Peralta to the main actors and their real life counterparts to the crew, including camera operator Lance Mountain. The 162 page layout is slick in the polished-grunge style you’re surely familiar with.

The book can only be as good as the movie, so judge accordingly. Behind the Scenes: Lords of Dogtown is just too mainstream in concept to appeal to your average lifer unless they have an unnatural affection for the movie. Even fans of the movie will be slightly disappointed in the actual lack of in-depth information provided and the occasional illegibility of the comments. There are tidbits buried in the book that will appeal to lifers, but the whole thing seems better suited to a magazine article than it does to a full-blown book treatment. $19.95 with a PDF preview available at TailTap.com. Don’t hold your breath waiting for a second edition.

Online action: concretewavemagazine.com
Online action: tailtap.com