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I know people who play musical instruments and call themselves musicians. I know others who raise cattle on a ranch, ride horses, and they call themselves cowboys. When I was a kid, I used to love to surf. I said I was a surfer. But I don’t think I’ve identified with a group for many years. Some would argue that my religion is a group that defines me, but I disagree as my religion is a guide to how I can live my life.
I know people who play musical instruments and call themselves musicians. I know others who raise cattle on a ranch, ride horses, and they call themselves cowboys. When I was a kid, I used to love to surf. I said I was a surfer. But I don’t think I’ve identified with a group for many years. Some would argue that my religion is a group that defines me, but I disagree as my religion is a guide to how I can live my life.
However, I’ve decided to create
this work as I’ve found that something that I love doing, which is riding a
motorcycle does have certain societal stigmas attached. Just like DJ Spooky’s mix of the Beetle’s
White Album and J-Z’s Black album, I created a video taking parts of the old
and mixing it with the modern to get inside my head, and express my inner
negations and feelings about riding a motorcycle.
No
Limit is a 1935 film starring George Formby who plays the role of “George
Shutterworth.” George is a young man
living in England, who has built his own motorcycle and decides to race in the
real life street race on the Isle of Man know as the Isle of Man TT. I have taken this movie and edited it along
with footage from other sources, some including more modern footage of the Isle
of Man TT. The music and edits are
designed to express my thoughts and feelings about motorcycle riding, as well
as what other seem to think.
My piece starts out with the thought,
“Hey, I can do this.” Light hearted
music, a piece by George Formby himself made for the movie begins playing. Even though in George’s world, he’s
considering a race, this reflects my innocent, perhaps naïve outlook on riding. I’ll be the greatest rider ever. Then reality kicks in about the time the
child goes down on his bike. Nothing
serious, but a bruised ego and a wakeup call as when I fell cracking a rib.
The music changes to a harder, intense
sound. As I ride, I realize things can
happen in an instant, and I need to be on my guard. As the lyrics say, “I’m breaking in, shaping
up.” Family, friends, and youtube all
say motorcycles are dangerous. What
follows is a visual of the imagery in my head as I think about riding. Crash after crash. But I keep going. George finally goes over the cliff in No Limit, and decides he wants no more
of it. Similarly I crashed breaking
bones in my shoulder and ending up with a plate and eight screws.
I modified the reasons why George decides to
no longer ride – he doesn’t have a bike.
That was my situation for a while as the insurance company totaled my
bike and was going to junk it. In a
twist of fate, I ended up with my bike, repaired and ready to ride. However at this point, I diverge from my
edit. I wanted to show another angle,
that I feel is unfairly portrayed in the media.
That is that people who ride motorcycles are thugs and violent. Yes, there are thugs who ride motorcycles,
but just because someone is on a motorcycle that doesn’t mean they are a thug
in my opinion. And again, unlike my
piece where George ends up winning the TT, my ride is not over, and I don’t
know where it will take me. I just hope
wherever that is, I get there safely.
