Fearless Freaks on a Vert Ramp
Well, while the flood waters have me trapped in my house, I might as well finally get to a re-cap of my deadCENTER experience. I’ll just start from the beginning.
Wednesday
Set up a couple of lawn chairs behind the VIP section to watch The Birth of Big Air. As we waited, we were entertained by a karaoking cowboy in black. We had no idea who he was…and it wouldn’t be the last time we saw him.
To be honest, I wasn’t all that excited about this kick-off film. I’m not an extreme sports enthusiast. But I have to say that I was presently surprised with the documentary. It was like Bradley Beesley’s The Fearless Freaks except that it took place on a vert ramp. BMX pioneer Mat Hoffman’s fearless way of gripping life by the neck and shaking every last bit from it mirrors the intense passion of fellow OKC’er Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips. They’re both a little mad. But they’re both inspirational and I’m certainly proud to call them fellow Okies.
To have both Hoffman and one of the producer’s of the documentary–Spike Jonze–in attendance for a Q & A made the kick-off event all the more special. I would’ve liked to attend the fundraiser beforehand, but to merely be in Jonze’s presence was satisfying to me. Oh, yeah, there was also a record-breaking crowd in attendance for the film. Way to kick things off deadCENTER!
If you missed either of the deadCENTER screenings of Jeff Tremaine’s The Birth of Big Air, don’t worry. You’ll be able to catch it on ESPN starting July 29th. After the premiere, you’ll find it playing on the other ESPN channels in subsequent days.
