Nestled atop one of surfing’s and skateboarding’s most significant and notorious proving grounds, some profound creatives have honed their crafts here in an environment of pure chaos.
On this day, we were honored to host two of the most celebrated bass players on earth as Geddy Lee (Rush) and Robert Trujillo (Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Suicidal Tendencies, Infectious Grooves) filmed for Geddy’s new series “Geddy Lee Asks Are Bass Players Human Too?” now streaming on Paramount+.
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Here is where I summon my inner teenager to give some context to the “Holy Shitballs!” experience that this day brought to our doorstep. Imagine if you will, it’s the 80’s, and skateboarding, at the time, had some popularity amongst our own community, yet it was absolutely not considered valuable by society as a whole. Most considered it a subculture for degenerates who destroy architecture and public spaces by being a nuisance while doing our thing.
The soundtrack to this anarchy ran the gamut of genres, while Rush, Suicidal Tendencies, Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica were absolutely poking the bears of convention with no fear and complete force. The music being produced by these titans of sound gave many skateboarders more fuel to push our own limits every time we fell and got back up to try again.
This was a time before social media where your mind could travel into the realms of imagination as you formed your own translation of the music and found motivation in the rhythm section as it drove the sessions. Geddy Lee and Robert Trujillo have both created tunes that stand the test of time and earned them each global recognition and respect.
As skateboarders, the magic of music inspires the approach we take to various terrain and gives us a pulse of possibility to conquer all. Geddy and Robert have indirectly been part of some of skateboarding’s legendary tricks on some of the most infamous skate spots in the world.
When the text came in from Robert Trujillo that Geddy Lee was hosting a new television series about bass players and Robert wanted to do some of the interview in Venice, we were like “Absofuckinglutely!” Little did we know at the time that he wanted to include us in the episode. We were just stoked to host Robert and Geddy and watch the magic go down.
As details started to spill our way that Sam Dunn, Grammy-nominated (ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band from Texas, Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage) and Emmy Award-winning (Hip-Hop Evolution), would be directing the series, it just kept getting cooler and cooler.
As the planning continued and the shoot date got closer, it was time to bring in the skate homies to ride the park on shoot day. The calls went out and Greyson Fletcher, Andy Anderson, and StuntMan Jake Familton were ready to rip. The anticipation was palpable and we had no idea what we were in for.
Shooting day arrived and the vibe was like no other as the premise of “Geddy Lee Asks Are Bass Players Human Too?” was answered in the humility of Geddy and his crew. Surprisingly, Robert and Geddy began asking me questions as a mike pack was making its way to my pocket. The conversation was smooth and easy and Geddy and Robert are unbelievably comfortable on camera. I guess playing in front of 10s of thousands of people makes this type of thing a walk in the park. We covered a lot of ground in a short time and it was really fun to banter with the bass players.
After the interviews, it was time to head into the wild of Venice Beach with a journey to the skatepark for a session with Greyson, Andy and Jake. Geddy and Robert (and Tonan) hung on the rail of the park while the session heated up and the show was on. It was a magical session and Geddy got a front row seat to the art of skateboarding by three of the best in the world.
Side note: Andy Anderson is Canadian and Geddy is also Canadian, which made for a cool connection. As the sun was beginning to set, the day shoot was a wrap. It was one of the those magical days in Venice that we were honored and privileged to have lived. Thank you Robert, Geddy, Michelle, Sam, Banger Films, MTV, Paramount +, Greyson, Andy, Jake, Chloe, Lullah, and the crew for having Juice be a part of such amazing history.
Check out Geddy Lee’s new show, “Geddy Lee Asks Are Bass Players Human Too?” on Paramount+, with episodes featuring Les Claypool, Krist Novoselic, and Melissa Auf der Maur and of course Robert Trujillo. Epic TV!
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