I have been a skateboarder for most of my life. It’s one of those things that really changed the way that I see my place in the world. From the very first issue, I have had an affinity for Thrasher magazine, and over the years that hasn’t changed. In 2008, they released one of the raddest skate videos ever created. The dudes in this video skate loads of sketchy obstacles and pull off many unbelievable tricks with some heavy fucking music as the soundtrack! What will make it hard for you to watch is the bone-crushing falls that you will witness while watching Brutality. Seeing so many skulls kissing the concrete, you will have a new-found respect for what skaters put their bodies through! Smoke a joint, kick back, press play and watch this sick Thrasher video after the JUMP!

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Interview by Danny Trudell

When I was about sixteen years old, I saw David Lynch’s Wild at Heart and my mind was blown. From a young age, I was seeking stranger, grosser, darker and more obscure films, but Wild at Heart was the first one that really satisfied me completely and I needed more! I instantly delved into the back catalog, watching Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Dune and The Elephant Man, each one it’s own equally strange, violent, beautiful and visually arresting experience. Each one was everything I wanted in a movie, and was not even aware was there for me to want. David Lynch expanded what my expectations of a filmmaker were, as well as what I could and should expect from the movie going experience. Later in life, I read Lynch on Lynch by Chris Rodley, and found David Lynch as a person every bit as interesting and inspiring as I found David Lynch the artist / director. Thankfully, filmmaker Jason S and producer Jon Nguyen found David as inspiring and interesting as I did, and started a documentary series dedicated to exploring his life and art. Here is a short interview with Jon about what we can expect from their third highly anticipated installment to the series.

This is the last day of their Kickstarter fundraising campaign, so it’s your last chance to contribute to their project! Interview and trailer after the jump…
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As a young teenager in the 80′s, hardcore was my shit, but I couldn’t ignore the Two Tone Ska movement that was taking place in the UK and across the world. I know some people reading CVLT Nation might be saying, what does this music have to do with the kind of music that I’m into? When punk kicked off in Britain in 1976, all they listened to were the Reggae jams that Don Letts spun at the Roxy. To hear the influence of reggae or ska on punk rock, just listen to the rhythms of The Slits, Bauhaus, Vex, Subhumans or P.I.L., or the lyrical content of bands like the Specials or The Selector. Then there is the fact that this whole movement was about breaking down the color barrier. Keep in mind that during the 80′s, blacks in South Africa were still treated as cattle, and were forced to live under the white rule of Apartheid. So in my book, a scene that was about going up against the National Front is punk rock. I guess when I think about being a part of the Southern California punk scene, I have fond memories of weirdos coming together, and it didn’t matter what color you were or even if you had all of your limbs. This is why today CVLT Nation is stoked to be bringing you the very well put together documentary, The Two Tone Story. There are certain moments in this film when I get the chills, because it really takes me back to another era. This film is pretty cool because it looks at the pros and cons of this scene. If you have not already realized, you should know CVLT Nation is about bringing the different tribes of youth culture together and to show how we share common ground. That being said, check out the full documentary, The Two Tone Story after the jump!

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I believe that there is a universe where the misfits, weirdos, freaks and outsiders all come from. These are the things I like to focus on, not the things that keep us apart. Growing up, I didn’t realize it, but the hardcore kids took the scene away from the artsy punk kids, and this occurred on both coasts. One artist to rise out of the New York Downtown art/punk scene was Jean-Michel Basquiat. This human wandered the same Lower Eastside alleys as Sonic Youth, Lydia Lunch and Suicide. I can’t even count the ways that his art spoke to me, and still does. Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child is film that focuses on a lost interview with Basquiat, as well as his rise and fall in the art world. There are aspects of the film that show what the art world is all about, and it totally creeps me out. When they focus on Jean-Michel Basquiat’s art is when my mind is truly taken to another realm. While watching The Radiant Child, it came to my mind how looking at his art was like listening to a raw black metal song or a killer hardcore song – misunderstood by most, but loved dearly by some. Not everyone can hear the melody or the harsh beauty in much of the musicI grew up with and listen to today.Those that can decode the subversive messages of punk and metal are in for some meaningful shit. The same is going in Basquiat’s work – when you do figure it out, a whole awesome universe is opened up. The Radiant Child also shows loads of fantasic footage of New York City from the early 80′s, which is a whole other story unto itself. The interviews with his homies like Fab 5 Fredy, Jeffrey Deitch, Kenny Scharf and many more brings a cool perspective to this film. From the very first frame of this movie, I felt inspired, and after writing this, I’m going to watch it again! After the jump, it’s your chance to check out a film about about a weirdo leaving his mark on the art world!

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Interview by Danny Trudell

A number of years ago, I rented the movie Wendigo by Larry Fessenden, mostly by chance. I was stunned at how beautiful it was – the entire movie was astounding from start to finish. I would watch and re-watch this movie for years. Loving Wendigo made me want to know more about the director and the other projects he had been involved in. After some research, I found that not only did I love the movies Larry was making, but I would draw parallels between his ethos and that of the punk rock/hardcore scene I grew up in. Larry is an uncompromising filmmaker who exemplifies the do it yourself attitude. He eschews the Hollywood model for how films are made, and makes movies his way, without compromise. He doesn’t see budget restraints as a hurdle or stumbling block, but rather as a chance to more creatively take the viewer where he wants them to go. Larry works outside of the mainstream, while making movies that are better written, better looking and more engaging than 90% of the crap playing at your local theatre. I was thrilled when Larry granted me this short interview, allowing me a peek into the mind that has conceived so many films I love.

How old were you when you realized that making movies and acting was something you wanted to do with your life?

I was pretty young. I remember in the third grade play I played the dragon that fought Perseus. It was a tiny role, I basically walked on and roared and then got killed, but the tumble off the stage I took was the talk of the school for days. I never got the leading man roles, but I made the most of character parts. I did play Marc Anthony in Julius Caesar in 8th grade, but by then I’d already made some movies and was very into the performing arts. In those days (the 70’s) it wasn’t clear that you could actually aspire to grow up and be a film maker. I came from a conventional family and we just didn’t think that way. Hard for kids to understand now.
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As we all know, one of the greatest artistic punk collectives was Crass, and their vision has reshaped popular culture. Sometimes people forget that they were more than just a musical group, but also were filmmakers, illustrators, sound engineers, poets and all around creative beings. Gee Vaucher worked her magic through visual media – before collage work was hip, she was doing her thing with a of vibe of revolution! She created many of the Crass album covers that we have all stared at for hours. Gee really expressed herself with her love of the film medium, where she would cut and paste images to create her own universe. Today, CVLT Nation would like to share with you over a 100 minutes of Gee Vaucher amazing work. Keep in mind that everything you are about to see was made way before the advent of the internet and Final Cut Pro! So after the jump, see the big A in motion!

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My homie Fergadelic has melted my mind again! I always felt that he was one of the most creative humans I know, now it’s a fact! He teamed up with his homies 2manyDJ’s/Soulwax crew to create hardcore video history. Basically, they have made the sickest visual mixtapes ever known to humanity. The music you will encounter in this hour will push your wig back for sure – major shout out to Soulwax and Fergadelic for making my braincells slam dance. CVLT Nation will do everything in our power to make sure the whole world sees and hears “Hardcore or DIE”. Below, read what Fergedelic has to say about this experience!

Hi, my name is Fergadelic. I’ve been doing visuals for 2ManyDJs for a while & as a part of this large project I got to take part in this fantastic “Hardcore Or Die” mix; What a privilege!

All credit is due to Steve from Soulwax, it was his passion for this music & involvement in the scene that inspired the mix in the first place(he once sat in on drums for Chaos U.K., as their drummer was too drunk to play…how cool is that?!)…also all credit to Nuno Costa, the animator who did such a great job interpreting my ideas. Now, are you ready for an hour of hardcore?!
- Fergadelic

Hardcore or die from Radio Soulwax on Vimeo.

The Thing

A film that fails on every level that John Carpenter’s 1982 masterpiece succeeded, The Thing is devoid of chills, atmosphere, and a well paced plot.  Enjoyable due to its high production values, this “prequel” does take loving care when getting the details set in stone by its predecessor.  There is very little enjoyment here outside of your standard creature feature.

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It’s so rad that CVLT Nation is becoming a platform where creative humans from all over the world can express themselves. We totally dig it when people share their creative spirit with us. Alec McKay, from Bernard Books, shared with us a film he wrote and directed, and one of the most inspiring short films that I have seen in a long time. Don’t Call Me I Won’t Call You features members of Toronto’s CURSED and MARE breaking it down to the nitty gritty about why the bands created what they did, the way they did. Just as important as the subject matter is the way this film was shot by cameraman Richard Powell Smith – it’s pretty breathtaking. I’m not going to give too much away because we want you to see and hear it for yourself. I will say this: there are some things said in Don’t Call Me I Won’t Call You that are straight mental jewels! So after the jump, peep this thought-building film about CURSED and MARE!

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Only one sport has been sanctioned by punk rock, and that is skateboarding! I saw it happen with my own eyes – all of the aggro 70′s skater kids became punk in the early 80′s. From my point of view, it was a natural progression that both of these subcultures unified on some level. Just look in the early issues of Thrasher magazine to see the connection between punk and skatebording. Many of the pro skaters back in the day played in skate rock bands, like The Faction & The Skoundrelz. Duane peters was a skater that took his skating and punk culture to next level: he partied just as hard as he skated. In 2005 at the Murder City bar in NYC, I went to check the premiere of his biopic, Who Cares…The Duane Peters Story. I must say, this was a fucking moving film, and it had my attention from the very first frame. Duane Peters lived a crazy life that took him to the gutter and back again. I’m going to to stop talking – just watch this kick ass movie for yourself after the jump!


Duane Peters 1 by exploreur
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