In 1988, I was a wanna-be ski bum trapped in rural Missouri. I had learned to ski a year or so earlier at a local area called Hidden Valley which consisted of a 5 minute lift ride to the top, and about 5 turns to the bottom. It was 275 vertical feet of pure bliss and just enough to give me the bug. Friends and acquaintances at the time told me stories of trips to exotic places like Aspen, Vail and Sun Valley which only increased my desire. But it was a movie called "The Blizzard of Aahs" that would make me a junkie.Greg Stump's earlier films like "Maltese Flamingo" and "The Good, The Rad and The Gnarly" were quirky and cute at best. But it was 'Blizzard' that would change ski movies forever and launch him to cult status. Veterans Mike Hattrup, Scot Schmidt and mohawk headed badboy Glen Plake cut up slopes in the Western U.S. and Chamonix, France in a movie that spawned the 'extreme skiing' craze. The renegade style of the film had the feel of a Kerouac novel, the beauty of an Ansel Adams photo, and the attitude of Bones Brigade video. And the soundtrack was absoulutely amazing.
Stump, a former DJ, had a love for synth pop, Trevor Horn and ZTT Records. And Rumor has it that he appeared unnanounced at the doorstep of the label and asked for permission to us their music in his upcoming ski film. Horn agreed with the condition that movie be good. The rest is history.
The movie introduced me to a whole new world of music where Horn was my favorite producer and ZTT was my favorite label. I was already a huge Frankie Goes To Hollywood fan, but the soundtrack also included two groups that would send me on several record finding frenzies: Propaganda and Act. German outfit Propaganda was able to squeeze out one amazing album before a squabble with Horn and ZTT split the group. Claudia Brucken and Thomas Leer would go on to form my favorite of the two, Act.Jewel - Propaganda
Absolutely Immune II (Trevor's 12 Inch Mix) - Act
Snobbery And Decay (Extended For Stephanie Beacham) - Act
A year later, in 1989, Stump released "License To Thrill". Although not as stunning as 'Blizzard', the movie's soundtrack was just as incredible. With groups like Nasty Rox, Inc. and Kissing the Pink, I was once found myself scouring record stores for their material. Most importanly, the film introduced me to CJ Mackintosh, Acid House and the Rave scene. It also influenced my 12 year DJ career and a love affair with 808 State that continues to this day.
Pacific 202 - 808 State
In 1992, I dropped out of college and moved to Keystone, Colorado to live the life of a ski bum. There, I worked for the resort, partied way too much, skiied some gnarly terrain, learned to snowboard, and discovered that the isolation of a mountain town wasn't for me. A year later, I moved back to St. Louis, and like a good boy, enrolled in school again where I majored in DJing and raving.
These days, I'm not so much a ski bum as I am a snowboarding DJ-on-hiatus (once a DJ, always a DJ, right? ). A lot has changed in the past 18 years or so (holy shit) in addition to my change in locale. I now have fear. I don't get up as fast after a fall. And I'm sore for 2 days after 1 day of riding. Ski flicks have changed a lot too, thanks to snowboarding. They're filled mostly with montages of different runs and stunts, bad post-punk pop punk, and usually completely void of story. But there are exceptions. Last year, a film called "91 Words for Snow" came out.....and it had an amazing soundtrack. Enjoy.
Grey Day - Zoot Woman
Perfect Speed - 13 & God