Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator

This film NAILS it by juxtaposing the fast rise and rocky descent of 80's counter-culture commercialism with the tragic story of Gator and his victim. We get to know Gator as a wild punk, arrogant jock, immature romantic, and finally, a violent and dangerous man. He was made for stardom, but the path to skater stardom was even younger than its pioneers... he was the era's most notable fallen angel.

I haven't yet seen a more vivid reflection on the style and attitude of California in the 1980s. It's very easy to get lost in this one; it's a sad, enlightening, and socially significant piece of journalistic film-making. Kudos to the filmmakers.

This film doubles as a peerless document of skateboarding as a legitimate American phenomenon *and* an unflinching look into the dark and doomed life of Mark Rogowski.

Ms. Stickler deftly handles the thrill of Rogowski's career triumphs and the chilling fall from grace that no one could have anticipated or, sadly, prevented.

'Stoked' stands bravely as neither celebratory nor exploitive; nor does it presume to answer 'Why?'. Instead, like the Maysles brothers' finest work, this film presents a 'fly on the wall' look at the Who, What, Where, and How with the precision and objectivity of a postmortem exam.

It's tough to successfully reconcile the duality this film presents to its audience - the great retrospective fun of high octane 80s culture sits uncomfortably next to what is essentially a grim and unsettling story. Viewers have to sort out for themselves if Rogowski's doom was a product of his huge fame and subsequent & abrupt fall from the top, or if it was, sadly, bound to happen anyway.

Rogowski could have been one of those elementary school teachers or office workers or Home Depot employees gone bad in what would have been an otherwise anonymous American murder story - but he wasn't: he was Gator. And as the authorities & families involved (and perhaps most tellingly, the friends & skaters in the periphery) in this dark tale will tell you, that may have made all the difference in the world.

It seems like only a few years ago when the local news stations were reporting on one of San Diegos local skateboard heroes,apparently being accused of murder? This was, of course a shock to everyone who knew or admired Mark Rogowski. It seemed like all those guys had such a great lifestyle! How could one of the sports most succesful icons have spiraled so far out of control? Well,its' been about 13 years now since Gator was convicted, and until I saw "Stoked" The Rise and Fall of Gator", I had many questions about what really happened to this guy. Helen Stickler, I must say right off the bat, did an outstanding job bringing his story to light. It's a story ,that if fallen into the wrong "creative hands" ,so to speak, could have come off as sensationalizing, or dramatizing the life, and subsequent murder conviction of Rogowski. While using classic skate footeage from the eighties, recorded phone conversations from Rogowski himself,and on camera interviews from fellow skate legends,former friends and former Girlfriend ,Brandi Mc Clean, Stickler created a mesmorizing look into this sad story. Her contact with those close to Gators story even includes the investigating homicide officers. The film tells it like it is. Through clever editing of skate footage and commentary, it is a sad look into a pathetic downfall of a once great sports hero.You see the effect his rape and murder conviction has had, not only on his life, but, on everyone who knew and loved him. "Jessica didn't deserve my rage", Gator stated from a prison phone call. Jessica Bergsten was only about twenty one years old,when gator murdered her. He claims,out of rage towards her relationship with his ,then, ex- girlfriend,Brandi McClean. Although none of Bergstens family members appear on the film ,one can only imagine the effect, Rogowskis' rage has had on their lives. Anyone who has any interest or questions regarding ,what exactly happened to Mark"Gator" Rogowski, should definately check out, Stoked! It's a a top notch documentary, that keeps you rivetted to the story, while never glorifying it.

Awesome. . .bummer

Mark Anthony `Gator' Ragowski used to look like Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Dark hair, wild stoned eyes, huge grin, punk jock clothes, mocking gestures, obscene air of fun. In the early Eighties he was beyond doubt one of the greatest vertical skateboarders. He reflected one extreme edge of the skateboarding world and the punk hip hop style cultures that were whirling around at the time.

He was one of the fastest, strongest, most radical and inventive skateboarders at a moment when the sport was still growing and dominated by pioneers. When he punched a cop at a public skate event, his iconhood was assured.

Gator was so good he went professional at 14 and by the age of 17 he was making a hundred thousand dollars a year. Later the film tells us he made twenty thousand a month.

He was a superstar and he palled around with Christian Hosoi and they're both in jail now. Gator and Hosoi were both wild boy idols whose lives burned out flamboyantly after a flashy arc of fame and money; followed by a sudden decline no street kid with a board and some wheels could have dreamt of, let alone been ready for.

Now they're born again Bible thumping Christians, trying to stabilize themselves for life outside. But there's a big difference. Gator is in for 31 years to life for murder and Hosoi is just in on relatively minor drug charges and about to get out.

This film describes the moment in American culture and skateboarding that was the background for guys like Gator and Hosoi. It focuses on Gator's life, which indeed is a rise and fall. Those who have seen Dogtown and Z Boys remember there are stars from that time who have stable existences and profitable businesses (like Tony Hawk), others that are just eking out a life somewhere; and a few who crashed and burned or wound up in jail. Skateboarding is an independent, loner-friendly activity that appeals to misfits (like Kathryn Hepburn)/ Some of the careers in skateboarding, including the prominent ones represented by Gator and Hosoi, have had the kind of downward arc chronicled here.

This doc goes beyond Dogtown and Z Boys in history and implications by starting off in the Eighties when the exploitation of this once seemingly incorruptible and uncommercial activity was well on the way to becoming a bankable showy Team Swatch tour sponsored sporting event. Skateboarding in the Eighties became more stylish, more mainstream and, consequently, more surrounded by money. In particular an outfit called Vision Wear tried to take over and make a lot of business out of the popularity of the skateboard look. But that look had been by definition artisanal, individual, and oddball: you can't codify wild style or hip hop things. When Gator became the front man for Vision Wear he made a fool of himself. Vision Wear became too big, couldn't go with the flow, and bombed. And Vision Wear was part of Gator's ride to a fall.

Gator made such a splash maybe nobody in the public noticed his downward slide at first. He was always a confused insecure kid with missing parents and a rage problem. When he was co-opted by tours and corporations and Vision Wear he bought the lie. He first became an ass***e, then an idiot, and finally a perverted murderer. On the way he did some fabulous skateboarding and had a lot of fun. He went on wild escapades with fellow bad boy Hosoi. When the money was rolling in at high speed he built a big round house out by avocado groves where a lot of rich skateboarders moved. But there was nothing to do there and Gator's isolation became magnified. His relationship with his girlfriend, Brandi, was less stable and grounded than with his earlier girlfriend. Brandi, who speaks often on camera for the film, was more of a trophy blonde than a viable future mate and her relationship with Gator deteriorated and she left him for a handsome blond surfer hunk.

In a tailspin, Gator wound up pursuing and entrapping a young woman friend of Brandi's. The girl died and he hid the body out in the desert but then it was dug up and Gator went to jail. He denied guilt but during the trial he went belly up and confessed. Phone interview excerpts show that he is reformed and close to his mother, and jail sure enough has made him grow up and gain perspective on life. Mark Anthony Rogowski, who at one point abandoned his name and called himself `Mark Anthony,' is finding himself but now he just looks like an ordinary guy. His isn't a happy story. It's a story of childhood problems never properly confronted and of a rapid decline when fame and money were more than he could handle. Skateboard stars, one of them says on the film, had a short early time in the sun. When you start being famous at fourteen and begin declining in your early twenties, you can crash hard, and Gator crashed hard.

As a package, Stoked makes sense. It does two things: it talks about the skateboarding world as Dogtown and other films have done, but it begins at a later, more advanced, stage and anchors itself in the story of Gator Rogowski. His downfall isn't just a cautionary tale. It helps you get deeply enough inside a single important figure of the skateboarding world to understand better what the life was like, how early it could bring fame and excitement, where the people came from and where it all sometimes could end. From an interview with Christian Hosoi, in jail but still in touch with the skateboard world, it's clear that these lifestyle problems live on among the younger skaters. Hosoi has pledged himself to be a positive example and not just an icon when he gets out.

Using the life of Mark 'Gator' Ragowski as the thread, director Helen Stickler tracks the rise of skateboarding from underground pastime to cultural phenomenon. As corporate America jumped all over the sport, the proponents got richer and the sport of skateboarding more mainstream, but some of the players weren't equipped for the fame and money - Gator amongst them.

With a great soundtrack, excellent original resources and unparralleled access to the sports biggest names (many of whom skated with Gator and are now owners of Skateboard companies), Stoked is as much a look at the Eighties and the gluttony of the times; some made it through unscathed, some profited nicely, and one at least is going to be in jail for some time to come!

Stoked is a great documentary, for fans of skateboarding and pop culture junkies alike