Ash
Has it really been thirty years since the release of RAD? It would seem, if you don’t mind me saying, it’s more popular now than it was on initial release? Why do you think that is?
I can’t say why it wasn’t a hit in theaters. But it did find it’s audience with VHS and since the sport was still in its infancy, it helped create a whole generation of extreme sports enthusiasts. Now thirty years later it is hailed as ground zero for many extreme athletes, and continues to gain new fans with the advent of bootleg DVD’s.
There haven’t been a lot of movies about BMX, though I do recall both RAD and BMX Bandits coming out in the ‘80s. Has there been many since? Anything you’d say that comes close to your film?
There was a documentary, JOE KID HAS A STINGRAY, however nothing heavily bmx related as far as fiction until the release of “Heroes Of Dirt” next month.
RAD was a hit on VHS. Did that help your wallet? Or the success lead to rewards of the non-financial kind?
Never saw a dime from the VHS, or the millions of bootleg DVD’s, however, it gave me enough recognition that I am planning to get back on a bike for my next film and I can’t wait.
RAD has been spoofed… everywhere. What do you think the best parody of it has been?
A band called Har Mar Superstar did a music video called PRISONER with Juliet Lewis that was pretty funny.
How did you end up in Heroes of Dirt? I take it the filmmaker was a RAD fan?
Eric Bugbee directed and wrote HOD, and is a hardcore BMX rider himself. He grew up watching RAD and ran a commercial production company back east and it was natural for him to do a BMX film for his first movie. He called me up and we hit it off immediately. It helped that I was his childhood hero, or at least Cru Jones was, and here we are five years later.
Do you ride in the film?
I barely rode in RAD. But no, I play the finger wagging dad in this one. It’s not easy getting old.
Are you still riding when you’re not on the job? Is it an interest?
I actually only recently started riding seriously in preparation for my next role as a former BMX champion. I now train with one of my stunt doubles on RAD, the great Martin Aparijo, considered to be one of the world’s great freestylers. It is easily the hardest and most dangerous thing I do. (And I fly ultralight aircraft the size of a go cart.)
You also act – in non-BMX films – and appeared in a recent episode of Breaking Bad. Can you tell us how that experience was?
It was tremendous. Bryan Cranston was so cool and we just talked like actors and compared notes. He was not a big star yet and I couldn’t be happier to see his success.
Tell us Bill, what’s been the highlight of your career?
– Hard question, but I am knocked out by the continued devotion of RAD fans. Meeting kids named Cru and seeing the devotion to the film in their fathers faces after all these years. I have had Olympic medalists and world class BMX athletes acknowledge me as an inspiration. That’s better than money in the bank.
