[ JAPANESE / ENGLISH ]
Photos courtesy of DOGGY PISS
VHSMAG (V)： First off, where does the name DOGGY PISS come from?
鉾久泰三 (T)： It’s kind of a metaphor for hitting spots. Like, the grind or slide marks you leave behind when you skate... it’s like marking territory. When you see those marks, you can kind of analyze what went down there. Like, “Someone definitely did this here,” or “This skater’s gnarly.” It’s like seeing a dog’s mark and thinking, “Damn, that’s a good dog.” Same thing, “That skater’s sick.” I just liked that expression. The crew started with four of us. Less than a year in, one guy moved to the States, but he finally came back last November.
V： When and how did DOGGY PISS form?
T： About six years ago. I went filming with Naoyan and met Haruto there. We got close, started hitting the streets together here and there. We were stacking some pretty good stuff, so we thought, “Maybe it’d be more fun if we actually filmed this.”
V： So you’re not childhood friends or anything?
T： Not at all.
V： But you’re all from Osaka, right? Can you introduce everyone?
T： Haruto, Kazuma, Soma, and me.
V： Skateboarding’s gotten a clean image since becoming an Olympic sport. Why use the word “PISS”?
T： Honestly, we didn’t think about it. Zero awareness about that. No hostility either. It’s just about having fun. A natural action. If you’re skating, you wanna see your skating. And if you film it, it’s more fun. We all like that, so we film each other. Since we all skate close by, we can do it often. It’s just like, “This is fun.”
V： You released Ningen Vibes last year. What’s behind that title?
T： Might be hard to explain, but you know when you meet people who vibe with you? Like people who shake at the same frequency. That’s the image. We’re “Human Vibes.” Like shaking something. Like a vibrator, you know? “Ningen Vibes,” plural. Like, “Wanna shake people’s hearts?” That’s the idea.
V： The huge graffiti of “Ningen Vibes” in the opening... who did that?
T： A friend of mine. Same guy who wrote the title lettering.
V： Any issues filming that?
T： No problem at all. After he finished, construction started and the wall disappeared anyway.
V： When did the crew’s vibes peak during filming?
T： Honestly, they’re always high (laughs). Sometimes we head out like, “Let’s film!” and end up playing skate games in a plaza and just go home. Or, “It’s cold. Can’t do it. Let’s eat.” We just go with whatever vibe’s there.
V： There were lots of night clips. Was that because of Osaka’s environment and work schedules?
T： Yeah, partly. The spots we like are often building entrances, so it’s easier after 8pm when foot traffic dies down. Plus, we all work. So by the time we’re done, it’s dark anyway.
V： Everything was street. No general parks or plaza. Was that intentional?
T： Maybe ’cause we can’t win with pure skill (laughs). I’m awkward even popping a tail. So instead, I find ways I look best, what feels best to me. You can battle with imagination, how you use a spot. So even if you don’t have tons of tricks, you can still play around.
V： The edit didn’t have separate parts; everyone was mixed together. Why?
T： It was our first video with just the three of us. No friends, no extras. So we thought, if we go full chaos, everyone’s individuality pops more. No parts means no “who was the sickest.” After watching, you just think, “Everyone was sick.”
V： The straightforward editing, stripped of extra effects or gimmicks was really refreshing, too.
T： Honestly, it’s just ’cause I can’t do that stuff (laughs). I don’t have any friends around me who can either. It’s kind of something I struggle with, to be honest. I don’t know anything about computers. I just chop the footage up, stitch it together, drop the music where it feels good. Pure instinct. There’s no one I can ask to mix the music, either, so I just think, “This track might fit,” and try it out. I drive about an hour to work, so I’m always listening to music in the car. If I hear something and think, “Oh, this is it,” I’ll maybe pull just the intro from that track. I’m basically feeling my way through the whole thing without really knowing what I’m doing. Just trial and error the whole time.
V： Any memorable stories from filming?
T： Kazuma breaking three bones at once was crazy. On a boneless 50-50 down a handrail. Kneeling, shaking, saying, “Sorry… I can’t do it.” Like, yeah, no kidding (laughs). But that was for LENZ 3, actually.
V： No stories from Ningen Vibes? You were out there night after night. There’s gotta be something.
T： Not really. We only skate for like two or three hours. Maybe from 8 or 9pm until a little past midnight. So nothing too crazy happens. We’re just skating the whole time. The feeling of “this is fun” just keeps updating itself, though. We’re always cracking up while we’re at it (laughs).
V： How about Osaka’s kick-out situation?
T： Super chill. If you skate too long, they’ll come, but even then it’s like, “Hey, not here~.” I smile first. If someone from a store comes out, I’ll ask, “Got customers?” It’s communication. We don’t push it. If we hit 4–5 spots and each gets one clip, that’s perfect. We call it a “Golden Piss.”
V： Any footage too wild for the DVD?
T： Kazuma taking a shit outdoors and throwing tissues at us. Couldn’t use that (laughs).
V： Do you ever clash with each other over filming or editing?
T： Not really. We’re all too busy just going with the flow to butt heads. There’s no tension. No sense of mission or anything. We’re just doing it for the vibe. It’s way looser than people probably imagine.
V： Still, you made it into a DVD as a proper piece of work.
T： Yeah, we figured that’d be more fun. If we just uploaded it to YouTube, that’d be the end of it. But if we make it a DVD and it brings in even a little pocket money, then we can keep laughing like idiots and skating the way we do.
V： You also host an event called PISS PARTY.
T： We wanted a premiere but didn’t know where. We don’t drink, don’t hang out in clubs. So we thought, “Let’s just do it outside.” No rules. Totally free. Generator, turntables, projector. First time, a lot of people came. Now we’ve done four, all outdoors.
V： That’s a block party.
T： Exactly. In summer the parks get overgrown, so I call the city like, “I eat lunch there, but there are too many mosquitoes.” A few weeks later, it’s clean. Then we do the event and clean up after.
V： Being outdoors, doesn’t chaos break out?
T： One time we had this huge bonfire going in oil drums. We found a couple of drums and had fires blazing in two spots. Then the cops showed up and were like, “Put it out.” But we were like, “We can’t.” In the end, they left after we promised we wouldn’t leave until the fire burned out completely. I mean, it really wasn’t something you could just put out. It had to burn itself out. That’s kind of how it is in Osaka.
V： Isn’t it risky with surveillance everywhere?
T： If you keep joking about something dumb, you start thinking, “Maybe we can actually do it.” It’s not that hard. Put gas in the generator, pull the cord, lights on. If you keep things simple, most stuff’s doable.
V： What’s DOGGY PISS’s aesthetic?
T： Don’t do what you don’t wanna do. Have the courage to say no.
V： You mean like sponsor offers?
T： More like interviews. If it doesn’t look interesting, we’ll pass. Sure, it’d be cool to live off skateboarding, but we have jobs. We take care of ourselves. No need to kiss ass.
V： So even though you’re “dogs,” you don’t wag your tails.
T： Exactly. Stir things up however we want. Who cares what people think. That’s easier.
V： So you’re back to the original four members now. What’s important about moving as this group of four?
T： Fun comes first. If you do it alone, it gets lonely, right? Skating with someone is always more fun. We get along, and our skill levels are about the same, so it’s fun skating together. We tend to go for similar stuff, too. When you skate together a lot, your sense of spots and your imagination start to overlap. But then someone brings an idea and you’re like, “I never would’ve thought of that.” That exchange is what makes it interesting.
V： In Ningen Vibes, stuff like the wallie to nosegrind was really fun to watch. The way you used the spots, the rhythm and tempo of the lines, it all felt good. There were a lot of satisfying moments.
T： That’s just the kind of skating I like. So it’s like, if we want to see that kind of skating, we’ve gotta film it ourselves. That’s pretty much it.
V： Did the kickflip down that big set at the building entrance take a long time?
T： I only went when I felt like it, three times total. The first time, the moment I saw it up close, I just said, “Alright, I’m going for it,” and tried it. I got as far as landing on it but slipped out. My legs were shaking, so I was like, “Hold up, I need a cigarette.” After that break, I was like, “Nah, I can’t do this today.” The vibe was gone, so I left. The second time, I went with Masa because I wanted a photo too, but I was like, “Man, my kickflip feels off today.” I popped a few, but it wasn’t happening. Then the third time… yeah, that was decent. I don’t think I even tried it ten times, though. I can’t keep doing it over and over, my legs are weak (laughs).
V： Changing the subject, your second child was born last year, right? Has becoming a father of two changed the way you approach skating?
T： Not really… but about six months ago, right before my second kid was born, I broke a bone. My collarbone. The baby was born in August, and I broke it around the end of June. Then after the birth, while my wife was back in her hometown with the kids, I broke the same collarbone again. I’ve only just started easing back into skating recently. Both times it was the collarbone. It would start to heal a little, and then I’d break it again. A double combo. That definitely shook me. I was like, “Maybe I should take six months off.” The crazy part is, it wasn’t even anything gnarly. It was just a regular flatground tre flip, rolled over, and it snapped. Until it’s fully healed, I can’t really skate. It’s scary knowing I could just fall and break it again.
V： You can’t put a cast on a collarbone, either.
T： Exactly. I had a plate put in, then had surgery to remove it. Three weeks after taking it out, I broke it again. Taking the plate out was my biggest mistake. So if you know any skaters who break their collarbone, tell them this: don’t remove the plate. Think of it as built-in protection. Just leave it in there (laughs).
V： Any future plans?
T： Same as always. We’ve got until we die. Skate life’s long.
Taizo Muku
_taizomukk_ | doggypiss_osk
A member of the Osaka-based skate crew DOGGY PISS. Their fourth release, Ningen Vibes, is out now, injecting new vibe into the scene.
Ningen Vibes DVD ¥2,420
