Johnny Knoxville, Spike Jonze, and Jef Tremaine
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ohnny Knoxville gained fame Spike still directs skate videos for In 1985, at the tender age of 13, Mat as the creator and star of the a skateboard company that he and J controversial MTV series “Jack- his friends started in 1993, called Girl Hofmann entered into the BMX ass.” Johnny starred in and produced Skateboards and Chocolate. Girl’s last both box-office hits, “Jackass” and “Jack- full-length video, “Yeah Right,” was one of circuit as an amateur, and by 16 he ass Two.” He has also been seen in “The the top selling skate videos of all time. Personal Statement Ringer,” directed by the Farrelly Brothers, Currently, he’s working on “Where had risen to the professional lev opposite Katherine Heigel, and starred the Wild Things Are,” on which he in the “Dukes of Hazzard.” Before that collaborated with Maurice Sendak and Throughout his storied career, Hoffmann he was seen in “The Lords of Dogtown,” co-wrote with Dave Eggers. In addition, Mat is awesome as shit, so we decided to make a movie directed by Catherine Hardwicke and co- he produced longtime friend and colla- has ignored conventional limitations, starring Heath Ledger and Emile Hirsch. borator, Charlie Kaufman’s directorial about him. —Spike Jonze, Jeff Tremaine, Johnny Knoxville Prior to “Lords of Dogtown,” Knoxville debut, “Synecdoche, New York.” instead, focusing his efforts on the purity starred in a wide variety of films including I grew up riding BMX. I stole wood to build ramps. I got the John Waters ensemble comedy, eff Tremaine was born a poor chased by security guards from the mall. Spike Jonze Birth Big Air of of the sport and the pursuit of “what’s “A Dirty Shame” with Tracey Ullman, Chris J white military brat and was and I were outcasts; we rode bikes and skateboards and Isaak and Selma Blair. He was also seen hustled from state to state until listened to punk rock. We got our first jobs together at next.” His motivations stem purely from in MGM’s box-office hit “Walking Tall,” finally settling in the area of Rockville, opposite the Rock, as well as Barry Son- Maryland. There he defied his parents on the premier BMX shop on the East Coast, and later we his own ambitions, and even without nenfeld’s sequel “Men In Black 2.” a regular basis and got into all sorts of ventured across the country to Los Angeles. Our dreams Currently, Knoxville and his cousin ne’er-do-well activities such as skate- led us to start our careers at the leading BMX publication Roger Alan Wade host a Sirius Radio boarding, BMX, reggae music and art. endorsements, cameras, fame and fans, in the 1980s. Eventually, we were able to repay that debt Show on Channel 65 called “Me and Perhaps most key is that in high school Rog.” Knoxville’s show airs Saturdays at Tremaine met Adam Spiegel, a hyperac- of inspiration and share what’s great about action sports Hoffmann would still be working to 8pm ET. Premiering in early 2009, Knox- tive little pipsqueak that puberty had with the masses through our work at Dickhouse. ville has created yet another gem somehow skipped over. In 1985, Jeff was push the boundaries of gravity. I first crossed paths with Mat Hoffman when BMX was for MTV called “Nitro Circus” which will booted from the parental nest and a small sport. Even at age 16, Mat was the best rider any- follow around the world’s greatest free- landed in St. Louis where he attended one had ever seen. I watched him take punishing slams Academy Award nominee Spike Jonze and style motocross rider Travis Pastrana and Washington University. his group of athlete friends as they travel Tremaine headed out west to join and get back up time and again. He was a gladiator whose extreme sport fanatic Johnny Knox- the world performing outrageous stunts. back up with his childhood friend Adam, spirit couldn’t be broken. He is one of those guys who now known as Spike. Tremaine slid into found his purpose in life early on. The irony about Mat is ville, along with director Jeff Tremaine, will pike Jonze started out shoot- the layout jockey position on “Go”, he does what he was born to do, and it could kill him. ing skateboarding photographs the result of a collision between Free- showcase the inner workings and exploits S and videos, and later made stylin’ and BMX Action. Tremaine briefly In the early 1990s, the sport of BMX was at an all-time music videos for Beastie Boys, Bjork, waffled over to a snowboard magazine low. Mat was organizing events, building his own bikes Directed by Johnny Knoxville, Spike Jonze, and Jeff Tremaine by Johnny Knoxville, Spike Jonze, and Jeff Directed of the man who gave birth to “Big Air.” Weezer and Fat Boy Slim, among in 1992 before being hired on as the and redefining riding. In his quest to go higher he built others. His videos have been nominated art/editorial director for Big Brother, a the tallest ramp ever constructed. He cleared the 20-foot for dozens of MTV Video Music Awards, fledgling skateboard rag that had gotten aerial mark, set a world record and lost his spleen in the including three wins for Best Director. off on the altogether wrong foot with its His first film was “Being John Malk- first issue. In time, however, his leader- process. The birth of Big Air stands as one of the crowing ovich,” with John Malkovich, Cameron ship took Big Brother to new and exciting achievements in all of action sports. —Jeff Tremaine Diaz and Catherine Keener, and levels of distribution, notoriety, and an was nominated for three Academy all-encompassing sense of stupidity not Awards. His second film, “Adaptation,” normally tolerated in any industry. with Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep It’s no big secret what happened past and Chris Cooper, was nominated for this point in the life of Jeffrey Tremaine. four Academy Awards. In addition to helming the “Jackass” fran- Jonze also spends his time on other chise, Tremaine has served as executive interests, ranging from creating and producer and co-creator of “Wildboyz,” producing the “Jackass” franchise, to executive producer and co-creator on directing a video portrait of Al Gore. “Rob and Big,” and has directed music In 1999, he co-starred in “Three Kings,” videos for Turbonegro, Andrew WK, and AP Images directed by David Russell. The Sahara Hot Nights. Johnny Knoxville 45.