Larry Clark is at it again with his latest film, "Wassup Rockers." The controversial photographer and filmmaker has made a career—no, a lifestyle—of capturing hard-core teenage shenanigans in images of needle-poking, gun-toting, everything-humping kids. In the process, he's paved the way for countless other photographers. Indeed, the road to Nan Goldin and Terry Richardson begins in "Tulsa"—the name of Clark's groundbreaking 1971 book. Now, eleven years after "Kids," Clark's unforgettable film debut, "Wassup Rockers" chronicles a crew of Latino skateboarders from South Central L.A. as they terrorize—and are terrorized—on a skating run through Beverly Hills. (And by terror, we aren't just talking about Jeremy Scott and Janice Dickinson, who both make cameo appearances.) A few days before the film's New York premiere, we sat down with Clark and learned how Scott almost broke his neck, that Paris Hilton is old (though everyone knows that) and why the kids, this time, are alright.
Aric Chen: "Wassup Rockers" follows these skater kids—real kids, playing themselves—who seem to be picked on by everyone, including the gangsta types in their neighborhood. Is this a critique of hip-hop culture?
Larry Clark: I was interested in these kids for two reasons. First, these were really good kids and you never see kids like that, from the ghetto, in film—being realistic, being themselves. The other thing was that they live in South Central, which is really violent and dangerous. The street style there is gangsta and the pressure to adopt that style is enormous. These kids, being punk rockers and loving punk rock, have to fight to be themselves.
You co-wrote the story, but parts of the film are unscripted.
Yeah, I wanted to show the reality of life. There's this great scene where Kico [one of the skaters] and Nikki [a Beverly Hills teen who picks him up] are sitting in the bed talking and he's telling her about his life and she's really interested, asking questions. That's a real scene, that's actually happening. I didn't write the dialogue. But then Kico says something [stereotypical] about black people and I just went, 'Can he say that?' It was so from the heart and so realistic, but so politically incorrect—
Wait. Since when were you politically correct?
I know, I know. I'm just saying it startled me.
I've always thought of your work as being sympathetic to the teens you portray, but some have seen it as exploitative.
I'm just showing a reality. Other people have taken my images and exploited everybody like crazy. Look at the fashion world. Open any magazine and it's all half-naked and naked kids selling clothes. The original work that I did, I wasn't selling anything. I was just making art and showing you the reality of what's going on.
It's funny that you have Jeremy Scott playing this fashion photographer and Janice Dickinson as this drunken mess—basically, playing herself. Both are shown exoticizing and objectifying the kids in the most ridiculous way, as fashion tends to do. Did they realize they were being caricatures of themselves?
Oh yes, absolutely. They were both amazing and terrific. But poor Jeremy. In the scene where he falls down the stairs backwards, the rigging [that was supposed to support him] didn't work. He actually fell. And then it happened a second time. So in the film, when you see him take the hit, he's actually taking the hit. He took one for the team, big time.
Is there an irony that most of your audience is going to be of the same white, upper middle class demographic that you're criticizing and poking fun at?
I think it's all good. I just want people to see these kids and the dangerous environment that they have to navigate daily. I also take them into Beverly Hills to fuck with the white people, and have the white people fuck with them. What would happen if some rich, white, trust-fund Beverly Hills girls saw Jonathan [another skater] and Kico and thought they were hot [which happens in the movie]? Paris and Nicky Hilton were in the news all the time for going out and Paris just wanted to have fun and get high and fuck hot boys. That was the original spark of the idea. I didn't use Paris herself—she would have been too old—but there are those girls out there who can just do what they want. Mostly, though, I want people to know that the people of South Central are good people. There are street gangs, but the majority of kids there just want to be kids.
What about grown-ups? Are you interested in them, too?
Yeah, I have a couple of films that will be about grown-ups if I can get financing for them. Tiffany [Limos, the actress and Clark's girlfriend] and I are working on a film about Tiffany and myself—well, no, it's not about us. It's about a younger girl and an older artist who live in New York City and fall in love. It's not about us. Freudian slip there.
I thought you two had broken up.
She's in France at the moment.
But are you still seeing each other?
She's in France at the moment. I'm not supposed to talk about personal stuff.
OK, final question: Larry, you're 63 now. You've had some drug problems, been arrested, gotten into your fair share of trouble. Do you think you've finally grown up?
I'm grown up now. I'm super grown up. But, before we finish, let me just give a shout-out to all the fashion cunts out there!
Wassup Rockers opens June 23 in New York, and nationwide throughout the summer.
