Lets fast forward 10 years where last week I watched approximately 20 web edits, all of which were great fun and featured exceptional, space age riding. But I’m not rinsing these videos like the old stuff. I watch an edit two or three times and then I’m off viewing the next thing. By the time I’ve done that, the video I watched in the first place is pretty much forgotten. Its possible to get bored in the middle of a video simply because the viewer can. I believe that the accessibility and choice we have at our disposal has created a passive attitude towards BMX content because the deep emotional investment is no longer really there anymore.
It’s is a wider cultural issue that also effects music and Hollywood. People can buy just one song off an album and watch blockbuster after blockbuster without even going to the cinema. In 2015 there is no limit or a need to make choices and BMX is no different.
If we have a choice between more or less we will all almost always choose more. It’s human nature because we are wired to consume more, even if the result is zero engagement. What’s concerning is that as humans we appreciate what we have little of, and what we have in abundance, we view as disposable.
The recently released BACO: Push It To 11 documentary highlights many of the differences between ‘then’ and ‘now’ and is the antithesis of disposable. This particular documentary on the fabled BACO series perfectly demonstrates the BMX lifestyle that existed during the 90’s and early 2000’s. There’s insane riding, tons of laughter, joking, nudity, daft pranks and stupid outfits. It is the focus on the lifestyle as opposed to cutting edge riding that makes it so fun to watch. It is this sense of realness that makes the documentary art of the highest order. The BACO videos were loved and held in the highest regard because of their personality, character and unique nature. In 2014 a majority of the content we view works hard to do a job, whether that be promote a brand or a specific product, where as BACO was all about having fun and filming it. It is a fantastic documentary because it highlights the love held for the series and tells the story of a group of fellas that love their 20 inch bicycles being silly. We don’t really get that silliness these days. And you know what? I really miss it because riding BMX is silly and daft and we should never forget it. Watch it now because they really don’t make documentary’s about any old thing.
