BY LUKE ZALESKI • PHOTOGRAPHS BY J GRANT BRITTAIN

Thirty years ago, Stacy Peralta, Tony Hawk, and the rest of the Bones Brigade released a gonzo skating video that was part marketing stunt, part experimental art project, and part guerrilla-filmmaking treatise. The film interspersed improvised sketches with some of the most beautiful skating the world had ever seen. Here, the original Bones Brigade members tell the story of the grainy VHS movie that changed skating forever, The Search for Animal Chin.

Building the Brigade:

Stacy Peralta (Bones Brigade founder, ‘Animal Chin’ filmmaker): I had a dream of creating the world's greatest skateboard team, a team that was composed of truly gifted athletes. And what was really important was holding the team together over a long period of time so the members could develop and create something meaningful and lasting.

Alan “Ollie” Gelfand (Bones Brigade member, 1978–81, inventor of the ollie trick): There were a hundred people in the Bones Brigade over the years, but there's only a handful who stuck out.

Kevin Harris (Bones Brigade member, 1982-present): By '83 or '84, skating really started creating its own identity. More magazines were coming out, people were getting behind Tony Hawk and guys like that. It was a world of new tricks and new superstars in the industry, and it created a bunch of rock stars in the end. It was the dream team to be on—the same team as Rodney Mullen, Steve Caballero, and Tony Hawk. When I got asked by Stacy Peralta to ride for the Bones Brigade, it was a life-changing turn.

Lance Mountain (Bones Brigade member, 1983–91): Our group was just young enough, on the cusp, where we didn't have to go and get jobs. And we were going, “How can we figure this out to make this a living? 'Cause we don't want to give this up.”

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