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More than a few cans of Coors Original were cracked in the parking lot of Lido Theater in Newport Beach Thursday night. Prior to the world premiere of Bill Ballard’s latest film: The Archy Movie, smoke billowed above the squeaky clean, metered parking lots of Newport as rock and roll and hot rod exhaust spilled into the streets of Newps. It was like Social Distortion threw up on Lido Island. As show time approached, 30 packs of beer rolled into the theater for the much anticipated documentary on the man who’s layback and gritty lifestyle created renegade surf style. The film is a Dog-Town colored bit of nostalgia that hits you in the teeth.
As narrator Henry Rollins chronicles the rough and tumble, “built for speed” life of Matt Archbold, his fellow T-Street rebels Christian Fletcher, Dino Andino, the Beschens and other locals obliterate chunky T-Street peaks with Marlboros in their wetties. His approach in and out of the water became the antithesis of U.S. competitive surfer, throwing mud on the squeaky clean singlet of guys like Mike Parsons who prided themselves on competitive success. Archy and his pack did airs. They skipped finals. They drank beer before heats and still won. In this film you’ll see their rise, as well as the fall, and then the rise again with the birth of Archy’s son Ford and on to where he is today: A surf icon who’s layback will forever be out of control with style and who’s tattooed stand-tall at Off the Wall forever legendary.