8 minute read
Nefarious James
One World Studios, Filmmakers Zack Coffman and Scott Di Lalla are becoming iconic. They’re just a couple of regular guys who love bikes and like to tell stories as they occur. While there are planned events in their work nothing is scripted, and often stuff does not go off a planned. The films are pure and rough—lacking anything that might make them seem contrived or counterfeit. This not to say the films are without sentimentality. There are some extreme moments in these works and there is the expression of deep respect and love between friends forged in brotherhood.
To experience the beauty of craft, the support of community, and the celebration of life these guys will carry you kindly to the place where the truth about us dwells.
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Following are three reviews of documentaries from One World Studios. KC O’Dunn aka Chaplin Plato, Choppertown, The Sinners, a motorcycle fabrication documentary film by Zack Coffman & Scott Di Lalla
Over the last 20 or so years, since Harley got Malcolm Forbes and Mickey Rourke to be the centerpieces of their We-Ain’t-aWorkin’-Man’s-Motorcycle-Anymore, shift of market consciousness, one of the things that has been exorcised out of the motorcycle market and media is the hospitality of the working grunge machinist. Your local bike shop used to be a place where you could stop by on your way home from work with a 12 pack and share a beer with they guys who kept your life rollin’. You could sit in the petroleum thick air and BS about women and cars and women and fishin’ and huntin’ and cars and bikes and women and guns and. … The bike shop was a sanctuary.
Filmmakers Zack Coffman and Scott Di Lalla are good friends who love bikes and are insiders in the culture of motorcycle brotherhood in southern California. Over beers they decided the off-the-rack, buy-in mentality of the Sunday rider was eclipsing the truth and the authentic relationships of those who ride were being lost by distraction. There was a time when the denim jacket was enough to keep the wind at bay, or your work overalls would get you to the club with your good clothes under; but after a while the black leather jacket and vest became a badge of the masses. Conformity confounded the community and riding was reduced to a few highly organized bike nights through the week and a Sunday putt for some noble cause. ‘Nothing wrong with noble causes but noble causes comes in a variety of faces and need— meaning different things to different social circles. Sometimes the noble cause is helping a friend get his bike back on the road.
When the film was being figured out by Di Lalla and Coffman they fell into the perfect scene. They knew a guy who was a friend of a guy who was about to launch a build out of an Evo motor on a bobber frame using the support of junk yards and the collection of odd materials accumulated over the years by the Sinners. This guy
is a Sinner. The Sinners are what the riding life was and is still, but conformists would be very uncomfortable among them.
The Sinners are the ultra network of brothers who span hundreds of miles of California and support each other with everything a person might need; even haircuts. One of those rare republican societies where there is complete support of one another and the hierarchy is loosely defined but staunchly protected ... a sanctuary.
This is the sweet spot where Coffman and Di Lalla chronicle the love, the society, and the brotherhood. The meaningful details of wrenching and welding and dancing and singing and bar fighting and playing hard driving and soulful music.
This is a very good documentary and in fact has become the cornerstone of One World Studios. It was the European debut of this film that was the purpose of One World Tour Europe. The guys documented an amazing journey to the Old-World to show the film and to meet Europe’s underground rouges of custom bikes and cars. www.choppertown.net
A LAND OF SHEEP
Well, here we go with another month. I for one like to keep myself in the know, but unfortunately, I can get more accurate news watching the SYFY Channel. Pretty darn unfortunate, if you ask me. But as usual, it’s a sign of the times.
I think back to the way it was, not to date myself, the 1970s and 80s. Different times and different outlooks by everybody. Hard to tell how far back in history you have to go to see how divided our great country has become. We’re living in a time of mass misinformation, and what appears to be personal entitlement. It would make my grandparents turn over in their graves. Unbelievable how sad that is to say.
Between misinformation on our news, to erratic weather, empty shelves in our stores, it’s definitely a tough nut to figure out. Restricted travel, higher minimum wage with higher prices at the pumps and at the grocery stores to boot. Could have seen that one coming. Everything is relative, people.
The people actually think that by giving somebody who flips burgers $15-$17 an hour, they weren’t going to raise the prices of everything else. After all, if you make more money, they could take out more taxes. If gas prices go up, again they tax you for more money. The price of everything goes up and the first thing they wanna do is blame the truckers on the road. Well, figure that out, if you’re charging twice the price for diesel fuel, things are going to go up in transportation costs.
Look, I’m not here to point fingers as to the reasons why all this is happening. That’s for everyone else to figure out on their own. I just know I don’t see any reasoning behind it other than somebody’s getting paid. Like they say, if you want to find the source, follow the money. I don’t understand the reasoning behind telling farmers not to grow food on their land, and if they decide to go against that federal directive, they are then fined. Imagine the idiocy of punishing somebody for growing food when there are people starving in our country. Along with that, transportation manufacturing drops to a crawl because we have allowed ourselves to be outsourced so much to where they have their hand around our throats.
I remember back in the day when you could buy a motorcycle in parts, a basket case,f or a couple hundred dollars and a new bike for $3,500 to $4,000. I never thought I would see the day where a new motorcycle could cost $30,000-$60,000. Unbelievable. It makes it more difficult with the prices the way they are to allow anyone, let alone motorcyclists, to travel and see this great country of ours.
The number of people who think they are entitled to all the free crap they can get their hands on, has caused quite an issue. Don’t fool yourself if you think there are no jobs available. What’s unavailable are people who are willing to work. They’ve been trained so well to be given a free hand out instead of working, that they now take that as being commonplace and the norm.
I’m not telling anybody who has their eyes open anything they can’t see for themselves. But how is this going to all turn around? I recently read a disturbing study that said the United States, under the definition of democracy, no longer qualifies as being called a democracy. How ironic is that? The home of democracy no longer qualifies to be called such. Another sad fact to point out is where a lot of the opinions come from that try to guide us in a certain direction. Why in the world would I allow a Hollywood actor or some sports figure or some talk show host or some musician to be considered an authority on who I should vote for or how I should see my country.
I remember fondly when the symbol of this great country what the bald eagle. Strong, majestic, and a symbol of strength. Just wondering how much longer it’s going to take until our National symbol is a sheep; an animal that follows mindlessly.
Hopefully, it’s not too late for “we the people” to get us back on course. It would be ignorant to think that we can turn everything around after all of the extreme changes that have been put upon us. But we have to try. For if we don’t, everything that our veterans and military service people have done to keep Americans free… will all be for nothing. Imagine that.
Remember when we used to stand up for what was right, not for what put money in our pockets and suppressed a great nation and its people for personal gain? I know this is some heavy Sh*t to hear, but more people need to say it and then act on it.
Many bikers wear the American flag to symbolize their belief in this country. Don’t you think it’s time to protect it now? I certainly do. Until next time, ride safe and enjoy your life while you can. You only get one time around.
