The Vintagent Selects: A collection of our favorite films by artists around the world.
FROM VERT LEGEND TO CHOPPERICON: MAX SCHAAF – LET IT KILL YOU (2024)
Run Time: 36:24
Producer: VICE
Director: Ben McQueen
Editor: Jason Georgiades
Key Cast: Max Schaaf, Ramona Downey, Tommy Guerrer
FILM MAKERS
Let It Kill You is a docuseries by skateboarder and tattoo artist Ben McQueen. The series originated as a book that was released Ben McQueen under the same name, that explored the intersection between skateboarding and tattooing. The book featured interviews from an all-star line-up that included the likes of Jamie Thomas, Tyler Bledsoe, Eric Dressen, and Andrew Allen, among many more. After releasing the book Ben decided to open the scope of the project, turning to watchable thirty-minute episodes that go beyond tattooing and into the intersection between skateboarding and art. Each episode is a deep dive into the careers and contributions to skateboarding of an individual artist and features some of skateboarding’s best artists and creatives.
SUMMARY
Max Schaaf has been a household name in professional skateboarding for over 30 years. He honed his craft of vert skating in isolation on a vert ramp inside a warehouse rented by his mother, Ramona, in Oakland, CA. Max quickly became a formidable force in the skateboarding world and played a crucial role in the inception of Real Skateboards, a powerhouse company founded by Tommy Guerrero of the Bones Brigade and Jim Thiebaud.
With a remarkable career spanning over 20 years, Max eventually developed a deep interest in chopper motorcycles. Applying the same intensity to motorcycle building, he soon made a name for himself in the chopper scene, crafting one impressive bike after another.
Max is a true talent who would likely excel in any field he chose, but he has dedicated himself to being both a lifelong skateboarder and motorcycle builder. Join us in this episode as we explore his journey from skateboarding to the inception of 4Q Conditioning in Oakland, where he’s covered in grease and dog hair, working at his own pace to create beautiful, world-renowned choppers.
RELATED MEDIA
IG: Ben McQueen
IG: Max Schaaf, 4Q
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This is a fantastic video .. from content to cinematography … saw it when it first came out on YouTube quite awhile ago … so far its the best in the ” Let It Kill You ” series … unless of course yer a ‘ boarder ‘ [ I’m not ] in which case you’ll love em all .. I’ve watched them all just for the quality despite having little interest in skateboarding ( I appreciate the skill involved but never had any interest in giving it a go )
So yeah … take a few minutes outta yer day … sit down with yer favorite beverage … and enjoy this little gem
Nice one Corinna !
Let me amend one thing … I also watch the ” Let It Kill You ” series because it is amazing to see the careers many boarders have created for themselves .. from artist .. to custom bike builder .. to skateboard manufacturers .. to shop owners once their skate boarding careers have peaked with their bodies singing the old Little Feat lyric ;
” You know that you’re old and over the hill when your mind makes a promise that your body can’t fill ”
And trust me youngins … you’ll get there as well …. guaranteed …. despite all the ‘ wellness ‘ BS and hype being shoved down your throats via Internet & Advertising Hell
😎
I just knew a slow motion shot of a torch lighting was in there somewhere.
There almost always is.
Its called ‘ filling space ‘.. pretending to be emotive when in reality all you’re doing IS filling empty space …an all too common tactic when you’ve got more time than script or action … all too common to the point of becoming damned annoying .
But from Hollywood – to television – to cable – right on down to independent films and documentaries …. that meaningless pretentious waste of film/digital space has spread like the plague … and unfortunately … most likely ain’t a gonna go away anytime soon .
Damn lazy if you ask me … damn cheap as well !
But hey … at least with this series … the rest is worth watching … assuming you appreciate genuine growth in human beings rather than watching them trying to live like they’re still in their teens
😎
Ahhhhh … misguided prejudices and xenophobia once again strike the world of motorcycling .
As revealed by former Pro Skateboarder turned custom chopper rider and builder Jon Humphries on DICETV …
Seems like the old school among us hate those former skateboarders like himself and Max for daring to enter upon their delusion that custom chopper building is their domain and their domain alone
Well … from my perspective … these young bucks from skateboarding are doing a damn better job of bringing forward classic chopper design and builds .. not to mention actually riding them rather than towing and showing them … than 90% of the old school whitey tighties obsessed with everything from wretched excess to Donk .. to out and out unridable crap !
And hey whitey tighty … hate ta tell ya this … but those hippies you hate so much were building better choppers and riding them a helluva lot more than you ever did back in the 60’s … not to mention all the Black Americans responsible for so many of the trends y’all think ya invented .. as well as more than a few of the most iconic choppers of all time
So to those haters I say … get the( bleep ) over yerselves … cause the reality is … yer just a bunch of Bozos on the Bus of Life like the rest of us …. and you’d all do a whole lot better learning from the Other … rather than hating . Cause the fact is … the Other is constantly learning from everyone else leaving y’all in the dust .. Much as that hard core indisputable fact might pain ya
In closing .. to all those former boarders either thinking about or having already entered into the world of custom M/C’s
Ride On – Rock On – Build On – Remain Calm ( despite the idiots among us ) and do …. by all and any means … CARRY ON my wayward sons & daughters … ( yeah I’m an old dude … so what of it ? )
😎
Oh and in the spirit of the weekend at hand
LFWOCZR ! ….
9-)