If you read the website frequently you noticed that we at Canadian Roll have been promoting a DVD called the Dirty Show, an excellent rolling DVD created by Kevin Dowling. We have been putting up trailers to spark peoples interest, and hopefully encouraged them to pick up a copy. However, if you are still on the fence on whether or not to pick up the Dirty Show, maybe this interview with King Dirty himself can persuade you to pick up one of the hottest DVDs out at the moment.
Canadian Roll (C.R): What made you make a DVD with your own finances?
Kevin Dowling (K.D): There are not very many people I would allow to be financially involved with my video. I feel that any sponsorship or marketing presented through “The Dirty Show” would have been misleading. I say this because very few of the people in my video ride for a company. We ride to ride and any money collected to push other peoples agendas may have taken away from the point of my project.
C.R: If you sell enough of the Dirty Show vol.1 , what can people expect from vol. 2? (What riders do you have lined up, will there still be explicit content, etc..?)
K.D: I think most people have been surprised by the fact that the explicit content is limited. I have plans to take over the world and anything that can be used against me as ammo may have to be excluded. I do not need to pop my collar for the camera or smash a beer bottle over my head to let you know I am real. I was doing that whole bit back in 2001. Anyone who knows me or has been to Atlanta knows what the deal is… We are the coolest mother fuckers in the game…
Back to the subject at hand… The Dirty Show vol.2. I hate to give any exact dates or make any promises because my life has changed a lot in the past few months. I have been in contact with Dre Powell recently and after he saw the video he said he was down to film a profile for number 2. Joey McGarrry and the SOL crew are down for a section and we may (depending on finances) be heading up to Canada for a skatepark tour with those guys. Eric Shrijn and I have talked about doing a spot check on Esco Zoo. Rory Melehan and Paul John are down. I have all that lined up and I keep in constant contact with some of the dopest and most under rated guys around. I also want to highlight a living legend in each issue. I really want to work something out with B. Love, I think after that generation peeps Hyser’s section they will get amped to throw down some shit.
C.R: What inspired the Dirty Show?
K.D: Rollerblading and every experience it has enabled me to have.
C.R: What overall impression do you think people will get when they buy this DVD?
K.D: I hope that people watch the video and remember skating isn’t about saving an industry, its about creating good times with your friends.
C.R: What separates the Dirty Show from every other DVD out there right now?
K.D: It makes skating look fun, its not people trying to act like they are hard or trying to act like they are models. It’s people rollerblading. No one in my video gets paid to skate (J.Bah does but he has like 2 tricks) and they still fuck shit up.
C.R: What crazy / jaw dropping / “I can’t believe they did that” clips can we expect when we pick up the DVD?
K.D: Rob G - Negative porn to true top soyal… Adam McManus Ao fish to bs to makio… Walt Austin - Ao hangover ninja stance makio
C.R: You have some legendary riders in the video such as Rob G and Tom Hyser, what can we expect from them? Are there any new comers that will turn some heads?
K.D: I think you forgot Walt Austin… Walt, Tom and Rob are still flossin man… I think you can expect what is expected, smooth, stylish blading that is more influential than influenced. New comers… I have to big up my friend Adam McManus, he is the culmination of years of southern rule. Style, personality and class. Not to mention he has a dope chick with a large rack… I think people will love his section and he should (albeit his location on the map) become a household name in rollerblading. Carson Starnes is also a new face that will be bringing the heat in the coming years. It is refreshing to see someone doing gaps again. Chris Smith is next level. Steven Tat only has a few clips but from what I have seen he is going to be king fucking kong bro. Dustin Hinson is what people are talking about when they say “people need to focus more on style” dude has stee-lo for days. Erik Bill, Sexy David, Steve Jones, Josh Appleton… There are a lot of fresh faces that will remain for years…
C.R: The video has a wide range of coverage, including montages, spot checks and many profiles. Did you intentionally create this wide area of coverage and different ways to present rolling in order to break the traditional mold of skate videos, and if so, what benefits are there to this method?
K.D: I grew up on VG. Video Groove did not attempt to be anything other than a skate video. Although the footage was clean and the transitions were smooth, Dave never over edited. It is easy to relate to the spot checks because they are just skate trips. I think the best part of skating is going on weekend trips with your boys. Seriously, is there anything better than getting out of town for the weekend and linking up with locals in a different city and skating new shit? I have friends today that I met on skate trips back in 1998. Montages are always dope because you can use all your best footage in a condensed medium. I have sections on the newest rippers, some recently forgotten talent and one of the original professionals in our sport. I think the benefits of this method is that you get a more realistic picture of our culture. Not just the newest dude doing the trick of the moment. It also makes it enjoyable for viewers of all ages. While there may be some younger guys who don’t understand the relevance of Tom Hyser having a section, there will also be older guys who think McManus is “too green” to be featured. There are so many people that kill shit, but you see the same 8 guys in every magazine and video… I like those guys and enjoy watching them skate but its time to make some room at the table, if not we will make our own.
C.R: Because you present such a wide range of coverage there are bound to be rollers who are not getting all the coverage they deserve at the moment and still are amazing. Are there any in particular that stand out, so that people will be talking about them after they purchase the Dirty Show?
K.D: With the inability of rolling’s industry to create good paying jobs, many people in my generation have had to get real jobs. These people still skate just as good but it seems that they are written off and forgotten too easily. Mike Martinho is a prime example. I think everyone will be disturbed to find out that while the industry left him high and dry, he is still the shit. I mean the guy has better style than most, better tricks than most and better personality than most. It seems that rolling’s industry is suffering from insanity. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. We have been doing big tricks and looking as serious as possible for the past ten years and it has gotten us no where. My generation was lucky to have people like Dave Ortega, Bryan Bell, Ryan Jacklone, TJ Webber, Tom Hyser, B. Love, Brian Smith, Andy Kruse and others, they all did different tricks and they were all cool. Not a manufactured and produced cool, but an actual cool that people in my shoes could look up to. I think that because our industry was doing well then, they did not have to try extra hard to look cool, they could be themselves which is actually cool. Walt Austin also got the shaft, I think all the Walt fans throughout the world will be happy to know that he is still killing shit and will continue to kill shit with or without a paycheck. Walt works up to 70 hours a week, this section was made for everyone that ever enjoyed watching Walt skate and he deserves a pat on the back for coming through.
C.R: What are some of the best and worst memories while filming this DVD?
K.D: best - making the video
worst - realizing I may not be able to make another one…
hahahaha
C.R: Tell me why the Dirty Show will not lay on a shelf and collect dust like some other rolling DVDs I have purchased.
K.D: I hope that people are ready for a video that is about rollerblading. I think that people will be able to put this dvd in and it will remind them of skating with their crew. It will remind people why they started skating in the first place. I think that a manufactured formula has been in place for too long and it has been exhausted. I made this video for people who actually strap in and go skating. To be honest, its time for us to stop trying to sell this shit to people who don’t skate and start focusing on those who do.
C.R: You have been known to be quite good at video editing so I have to ask, what can rollers expect in regards to overall production quality?
K.D: This is my first video but I have been filming since 1997. I shoot with a Canon gl1 and gl2. The angles are thought out and we tried to make it a point to not depend on the bubble. I think that song selection is one of the key ingredients to making a dope section. Just because a rider says that he wants to use his favorite song does not mean you should use it. I took time in selecting every track in my video, some of them I have planned to use for years. I think the soundtrack bounces back and forth but remains consistent with the theme of the video. I dove into each section differently… Each section was edited under the influence of a different type of Lager. Sometimes I would edit alone, other times I would edit with a room full of people, laughing and having a good time. I put a lot of time and emotion into each section and I think that is reflected while watching.
C.R: Judging from the cover of the DVD, it seems that the art work is extremely well done. Who helped you create the look and feel of the video and how did their input affect the overall presentation of the Dirty Show?
K.D: Mike McMullen is the artist responsible for the cover design and Dirty Show Logo. Mike is the artist responsible for all the Misery Loves Company logo’s. I think everyone should check out his website and let the art do the talking. www.mike-ill-mcmullen.com. Mike is currently working on a few rolling related projects that I think everyone will be stoked on. David Dodge helped with motion graphics and Ivan Narez animated the Dirty Show logo. As for the overall feel of the design, I hope it makes people want to step their game up.
C.R: Shout Outs?
K.D: I want to shout out to all the people who are getting back into skating. I have to show love to Adam McManus, John Kelso, Adam Ehalt, Jamie Olmstead, Mike Martinho, Walt Austin, Tom Hyser and Robert Gurrero for having faith in someone who had never made a video. I think we can all relax for a few weeks and enjoy our video and get stoked to keep this thing moving in 2008. Mike McMullen made this video possible, he gave me more advice than anyone else could have. My wife for being the most amazing woman I have ever know and supporting me through this entire video. My son for giving me a reason to progress as a human. Every single blader in the video for being tight as shit. Terence McDermott for helping with filming/driving/partying. Paul Barton, Walt Austin, Nat McCall and Mike McMullen for being real as fuck. Mike Tyson for being the single most badass human to ever live. Blake in Tallahassee. Gumby, Adam B, McManus, Ehalt and Joe Dob for being down with TheMiseryLovesCompany. Tyler, Tim T, Johnny, Dustin, Dodge and Adam for being the illest crew in the world. Thanks to everyone who has purchased or is planning to purchase the video. I am the PBS of blading and this shit is made possible by viewers like you…
So there you have it, I hope this interview inspires people to pick up the Dirty Show, if they have not done so already. Help Kevin create a Dirty Show Vol.2 and promote a rolling DVD that breaks the conventional molds by picking up a copy. Also, A review of the DVD will be up shortly for everyones viewing pleasure.
Nick. D
