OUT HERE WITH Carlo Pelaez
Where are you from?
I was born in San Francisco right off Geary at Kaiser. Basically, grew up my first 3 years of life in Twin Peaks. My folks thought I was way too loud (I was always jumping off the walls as a kid), so we bought a house in Daly City/SSF and that’s where I basically grew up. I now reside in Pacifica which is a beach town 10 minutes south of SF
When I first met you, I just thought you were a filmer…but after talking to Arab George, he informed me that you were trying to get a trick over a street gap…which do you prefer more skating or documenting the LifeSTyLe?
Haha, he told you about that one huh? George likes to do this thing where I barely skate, and he pushes me to get these tricks for fun with him behind the camera and me in front of it instead.
It’s pretty hilarious and definitely keeps us entertained. If you ever go out to skate with me and George I skate for like 15 minutes, then sit down to observe other people skating around me. I just like watching all the different styles of how people skate, and I think that’s why I rather film. Im sure as hell am no P-Rod!
GEORGE JADELRAB NOLLIE HEELFLIP TAILSLIDE FOR DC PROJECT GRANITE from Carlo Pelaez on Vimeo.
Often I find with any creative lifeSTyLe it’s hard to keep a steady woman companion…they often lack the ability to be able to understand what draws an individual to be able to get up in the morning and cruise around in the streets all day getting tricks and kicking it with the homies…Do you think it’s possible to find a woman companion that will accept you and your present LifeStyle?
I’ve talked about this the first time I met fellow filmer friend Anthony Claravall, in a filmers lifestyle it’s so hard to keep a woman when you want to travel and just be around great content and the things you love 24/7. I don’t want to sound all cliché, but I think REAL woman will just take you for what you are and respect your art. That goes vice versa as well
I dont know about you but when I started skatin, I used to get made fun of. Did you have that problem growin up in SF?
In High School surprisingly no one fucked with me. The reason I think being was that I got along with so many people from school, that they kinda respected me skating. In many ways too I always drew a good line between my skate life and regular lifestyle. I think that was a deciding factor of me not getting heckled.
What about your blog…it’s pretty sick what was the motivation to create it…and what do you want individuals to get out of your blog?
The actual concept of Dirtbags Anonymous was for me, and my 2 other friends Carlo (yes same name) and Kyle to keep in touch with our lifestyles since they all moved to SD. From there it kind of grew into us posting all this random material. Eventually it has now grown to video content as I have started to post skate, automotive, music, and other content that interest all of us. I’ve also taken to adding more contributors that share the same interest as me, like our new contributor Louis Cayetano aka Lou Lou the Milk man.
I just want to honestly keep people entertained with our blog and just keep it fun. Everyone has a dirtbag type mentality within them and I just hope that our blog pokes towards that.
How did you get into filming and why do you feel it is important to document the SF skate scene?
I can say that my friends that I grew up skating Pier 7 with, Cameron Bohannon and Aldo Fabbri, definitely inspired me towards filming. When I was about 14-15 years old I always skated with them and I saw them doing their thing filming. They made this SF video called Incognito and it had such a big impact on me to see all my friends killing it so hard. I was so happy to see that, that I eventually wanted to capture all the great skateboarders I was surrounded by.
I feel documenting the SF skate scene is always going to be important to me. We have such a lively skate culture and just culture in general, that I feel the rest of the country doesn’t really see it for what it is. I’m just here to preserve SF culture with every and any artist that I associate myself with.
When I was in SF you informed me that you were possibly going to start filming a movie overseas…what’s up with that project?
Well my original goal was to go to the Philippines for a month or 2 to just go live a little and film some new content out there. I go every 3 years just to be in touch with my culture, family, and to see what’s happening. My budget converting over to HD cameras and just bills has keep me from that for 2010. Eventually coming up in 2011 I will be there as I do want to start covering some of the music, skating, fixed gear and car scene out there. Shout out to my P.I connects Val, Carla and Julo at Commune MNL by the way!
Also, I have to ask you what advice would you give for the skaters in your city who have no job…and plan to just try to make a living off skateboarding?
To be realistic, it’s not possible unless you got help from your family, scholarships from school helping living expenses, or you’re just straight rich. To live in SF you always have to have at least 3 ways to make money to come up. That’s the motto out here. Whether it be working retail, little money off selling product from your sponsor, or just straight being a street pharmacist; SF is a town where you must have your hustle on 24/7 or you just get eaten alive
Tell the viewer a crazy story about Larry Redmond the ambassador of the sayin,”WE OUT HERE.” And inform people what exactly "WE OUT HERE" means?
I’ve known Larry for a good decade since the Incognito days when I was 15. So many stories come to mind with that guy. Funny thing is, that guy has been OUT HERE for that decade I’ve known him. I can recall all the days we spent doing the video Product of the Bay with Cameron, George, Larry, Richard (Jefferson), and our homie Matt (Holt). Those memories were always the best cause that era of skating for me were the most fun and productive for Larry and our crew to be OUT HERE.
We Out Here to me means to rep your city, block, cul de sac, or wherever you’re from. To clarify, the term has been used for decades in SF local rap with 11/5, RBL, etc. Larry just brought it out and definitely brought a movement for the term. When someone says they’re out here, you can already sense if it’s genuine or not. I think the real people who are OUT HERE don’t need to perp the term and just live it.
Man, SF is a crazy place….crack heads are just as common as weed heads in your city…have you ever had any crazy encounters with SF transients…
I’ve had plenty. I’ve had bums try to fight me at the Pier with my friends, crackhead dogs bite my friends at spots, etc But hey, that’s life living in or around any major city. If SF didn’t have so much good and bad things going on, then it wouldn’t be genuine.
Thanks for doing this interview…I would like to ask you what does the statement, “WE ARE THE CITY” mean to you?
We Are The City to me means SF to STL to NY to LA to whatever city you’re in, be genuine and rep you’re from. Never perpetrate. Word to We Are the City for holding me down and word to my creative affiliates Dirtbags Anonymous, Reckord, Wild N Krazy Kids/Ri$ky Biz!
Montage #2: Love and Hate from Carlo Pelaez on Vimeo.
