Cigarettes and Skate Ramps
It Was all a dream
Written and Photographed by Rick Perez, @goodtimerickstudios
I have a complicated relationship with marijuana. I love how it brings forth certain levels of creativity and I love the bond of smoking a joint with a friend. Sometimes, however, I can get way too stoned and everything becomes a hazy dream. The night of the skate ramp party was one of those times.
The San Diego band, Free Paintings, was invited to play at the backyard of Los Angeles videographer Justin Bretter and took me along for the ride. We left San Diego at 2:30pm on a Friday afternoon and with all the traffic we didn’t arrive at the house until 8pm. Needless to say, after being stuck in traffic for close to 6 hours we were ready to party.
The setting was beautiful. There were ginormous trees and lush vegetation and I felt like we were in the middle of the woods. On one end of the backyard was a salt water pool and one the other end was the make-shift stage and a mini-skate ramp. The crowd was a mix of laid back skateboarders and ladies that looked like they were out of the HBO show Euphoria.
I usually don’t like to get high and take photos because I get in my head too much, but that night I wanted to be on a different wave. With my cup of tequila, I took a few hits from my friend’s weed pen and began the night.
As the wave formed in my mind, Free Paintings started their set and I was immediately transported back to the days of my youth. Their music awakened memories of hanging out in parking lots and grocery store aisles with my friends. I would have hung out anywhere as long as I was with my friends and away from home. Then I thought “Here I am, 15 years later, hundreds of miles away from home with my friends”. Somethings never change.
Free Paintings
After their set I caught up with my old friend Chloe and she busted out a blunt. I was already on a giggly wave and wanted to ride it even further. Chloe, another friend, and myself all started to pass the blunt back and forth until it was finally finished.
And then it REALLY hit me.
I felt my entire body start to float. My hips began to move and pretty soon I was dancing by myself. I was having a grand ‘ole time but in the middle of my groove I suddenly became aware of my surroundings. I looked around and immediately felt like EVERYONE WAS LOOKING AT ME and saying “THIS GUY IS WEIRD”. It was a dumb, insecure feeling that I only get when I’m extremely stoned.
“Dude am I being weird?” I asked my friend Levi.
“Nah man, you’re fine” He said assuringly. “Not weird at all.”
I trusted my friend but couldn’t shake off that I’m-too-high-right-now feeling, so I retreated behind my camera and started to explore the party.
Visually, this was a good party because of the pockets of light that dotted the darkness. The shadows and moody tones were really inspiring. There were groups of people watching the performers, a few guys skating on the ramp, and others standing around ash trays, conversing with drinks in their hands and cigarettes on their lips.
I couldn’t stop watching the skateboarders and musicians. I resonated with their passion. All they wanted to do was skate and play music, and all I wanted to do was to take pictures. We were co-existing in our zones, a holy trinity of photography, music, and skateboarding. The whole thing was truly beautiful.
The next morning I woke up in a weird daze. “Did that really happen?” I asked myself. The ramp was there but didn’t look the same in daylight. The ashtrays were filled with cigarettes, evidence of conversations from the night before. Somehow, still, nothing felt real, like it was all a dream.
On the way back to San Diego, the members of Free Paintings and I traded after-party stories from the night before. I enjoyed hearing everyone’s perspective but I liked mine the best. I was a wallflower and absorbed everything around me. It was really a dream, but it felt like it, and that’s all that matters.
