Landry's Column

"John Hughes"




Last week, John Hughes passed away as a result of a heart attack. Many of you probably weren’t aware of his existence but for a time he was the voice of the ignored youth of the eighties. His films explored teen angst and examined the emotions of middle/suburban America. While he never examined or included skateboarders directly, I’m certain there are skaters out there who could identify with at least one of his characters from one of his films. You see, John Hughes often included an underdog or anti-hero type of figure within his films which I feel can translate directly to the underdog nature of skateboarding.

We as skaters often seek some recognition for the work we put into skating but with little or no regard by the mainstream media. For the most part we embrace this lack of recognition. It is not our aim to get noticed per se but to find ourselves within a fringe activity. This may be the one reason as to why we, as skaters, are unable to identify with John Hughes films. While Hughes' underdog archetypes are searching for a voice and attempting to be heard, skaters can often find their voice through the act of skateboarding. While we remain on the outskirts of the mainstream, we remain content to just be out skating.

At the same time, we do attempt to receive some recognition from our peers in our attempt to improve and develop our skills. In my opinion, this is where Hughes’ films become an example of our human (skate-centric) condition. As we attempt to record that which is around us and share said recordings, we are in fact extending our voice to a larger audience. While it is debatable whether the parties involved are truly searching for recognition, we still must attempt to explain our apparent need to create videos and share them with a larger audience.

This apparent need to not necessarily be known but to be understood by others is central to our day to day lives. Even though we aren’t pursuing a girl in the face of adversity (as is the hero in many a Hollywood film), we still remain in pursuit of something. We just don’t always know what it is or how we’re going to get there.


-Marc Landry