When poised with the task of having to have a personal biography, your initial reaction is “I can’t write one about myself”. Not only is it completely self indulgent but more importantly it also breaks the universal law of Wikipedia.
So after a few failed attempts at getting my friends and contemporaries to write about me in a shining manner, I decided that maybe I would put the proverbial pen to paper and write about how impressive I am, and why you the reader should be so interested to divulge in the next 8 or 9 paragraphs on yours truly – Me.
Born in Sydney, Australia in 1984 to a White Australian Mother and an Indonesian father, Jai Al-Attas(Me) spent his formative years growing up around modern day leftists and would be activists. First of all his Father, coming from a powerful political Indonesian family, fled to Australia in the 1970’s after being forced to join the Indonesian Army against his own will. His
white middle class Mother on the other hand was sent to prison for peacefully protesting
Aboriginal rights by sitting down outside the gates at the 1988 Commonwealth Games in
Queensland and furthermore was the only white person in the 15 or so people in the group to
spend the night behind bars.
So having the background that he did, It was only natural that Jai would be raised as a non
conformist always asking questions about anything that he perceived as being force fed –
Albeit in a somewhat normal middle class surrounding. It was inevitable that Jai would
eventually find punk rock and both his obsessions with film and music would lead him to
where he is today – A 24 year old self glorified slacker.
At age 16, after being banned from his school sports program, Jai and 2 of his school friends
started an independent record label called Below Par Records inspired by the DIY ethos of
labels such as Epitaph, Fat Wreck Chords and Sub Pop. At the same time Jai was majoring
in film making for his senior high school art course and would create 2 six minute
masterpieces titled “Boardom” and “Board Again”, which basically consisted of Jai and his
friends skating, surfing, bodyboarding and acting like morons backed to a fast 90’s punk rock
soundtrack. Obviously none of the music was cleared and the films scored low marks as the
teaching facility were still trying to figure out where the “art” aspect of the films actually lay.
But more importantly it instilled something in Jai, that regardless of any formal training in film
making(he had none), he now had the bug and wanted to make films for the rest of his life.
This bug however would have to take the backseat because for the next 8 years, Jai found
himself successfully busy turning his high school indie label into one of the most successful
labels in Australia and eventually partnering up with Virgin Records, who would go on to take
a stake in the label. The label won such prestigious awards as the Nescafe Big Break and
signed artists that would go on to achieve multiple gold records and collect a slew of prolific
award nominations and chart placings.
It wasn’t until Jai picked up a camera again in 2006 to film one of his bands, Kisschasy, first
international tour that the bug bit back – and he directed his first music video for the band.
Next came an on the road documentary, “Kisschasy: The Movie” which would not only debut
in the Top 20 on the Australian DVD Chart but it would also gain critical praise making Rolling
Stones’ “Best Of 2006” Yearbook. On top of all of this it also gave Jai his first award
nomination for “Best Music DVD” at the 2007 ARIA Awards(Which is the Australian equivalent
of a Grammy Award, something which he would lose).
But it was a phone call in March 2006 that would really turn Jai’s life around. After writing a
synopsis for a documentary on the 90’s punk rock scene, something that had never been
documented on film before, Jai trying to get his idea off the ground would eventually be put in
touch with the very person who inspired him to want to make a documentary in the first place,
former professional skateboarder and film maker Stacy Peralta(Dogtown & Z Boys). The
phone conversation Jai had with Stacy walking through the streets of Austin, Texas was
enough to further inspire Jai to get this film made. Within 6 months, Jai had started an
independent production company, had funding and a crew attached to start shooting his
feature documentary debut ONE NINE NINE FOUR, basing themselves in Los Angeles,
California for the first part of 2007.
Shooting wrapped in April 2007 and at only 22 years of age, Jai had interviewed all of his
teenage punk rock heroes face to face and even convinced the most successful skateboarder
in history, Tony Hawk to come on board as the films narrator.
Now at 24 and having just completed his documentary on the birth, growth and explosion of
punk rock in the 90’s, ONE NINE NINE FOUR, Jai is now ready to show the world the first
ever documented history of this particular scene. The scene and bands that he grew up
listening to, the soundtrack to his youth, the tunes that would pump him and his friends up
before going surfing and skating. (Shit, now I am about to quote myself) “I mean the thing that you have to understand is that, I didn’t know any of these people before going to LA to shoot this documentary. I was just this kid from Australia that really wanted to see a film on punk rock bands in the 90’s – So much so that the only way this was going to be possible was to make it myself” Now basing himself in Los Angeles, Jai still runs the same label that he started in high school and nearly considers himself a legitimate film maker. And that, reader, is the up to date
biography of Jai Al-Attas aka Me.
FILMOGRAPHY
Boardom – 2000 (Year 11 High School Film)
Writer / Director / Editor
Board Again – 2001 (Year 12 High School Film)
Writer / Director / Editor
Kisschasy “The Movie” – 2006 (DVD Release by Virgin Records)
Writer / Director / Producer
ONE NINE NINE FOUR – 2008 (Release date and distributors TBC)
Writer / Director / Editor
OFFICIAL SITE
So after a few failed attempts at getting my friends and contemporaries to write about me in a shining manner, I decided that maybe I would put the proverbial pen to paper and write about how impressive I am, and why you the reader should be so interested to divulge in the next 8 or 9 paragraphs on yours truly – Me.
Born in Sydney, Australia in 1984 to a White Australian Mother and an Indonesian father, Jai Al-Attas(Me) spent his formative years growing up around modern day leftists and would be activists. First of all his Father, coming from a powerful political Indonesian family, fled to Australia in the 1970’s after being forced to join the Indonesian Army against his own will. His
white middle class Mother on the other hand was sent to prison for peacefully protesting
Aboriginal rights by sitting down outside the gates at the 1988 Commonwealth Games in
Queensland and furthermore was the only white person in the 15 or so people in the group to
spend the night behind bars.
So having the background that he did, It was only natural that Jai would be raised as a non
conformist always asking questions about anything that he perceived as being force fed –
Albeit in a somewhat normal middle class surrounding. It was inevitable that Jai would
eventually find punk rock and both his obsessions with film and music would lead him to
where he is today – A 24 year old self glorified slacker.
At age 16, after being banned from his school sports program, Jai and 2 of his school friends
started an independent record label called Below Par Records inspired by the DIY ethos of
labels such as Epitaph, Fat Wreck Chords and Sub Pop. At the same time Jai was majoring
in film making for his senior high school art course and would create 2 six minute
masterpieces titled “Boardom” and “Board Again”, which basically consisted of Jai and his
friends skating, surfing, bodyboarding and acting like morons backed to a fast 90’s punk rock
soundtrack. Obviously none of the music was cleared and the films scored low marks as the
teaching facility were still trying to figure out where the “art” aspect of the films actually lay.
But more importantly it instilled something in Jai, that regardless of any formal training in film
making(he had none), he now had the bug and wanted to make films for the rest of his life.
This bug however would have to take the backseat because for the next 8 years, Jai found
himself successfully busy turning his high school indie label into one of the most successful
labels in Australia and eventually partnering up with Virgin Records, who would go on to take
a stake in the label. The label won such prestigious awards as the Nescafe Big Break and
signed artists that would go on to achieve multiple gold records and collect a slew of prolific
award nominations and chart placings.
It wasn’t until Jai picked up a camera again in 2006 to film one of his bands, Kisschasy, first
international tour that the bug bit back – and he directed his first music video for the band.
Next came an on the road documentary, “Kisschasy: The Movie” which would not only debut
in the Top 20 on the Australian DVD Chart but it would also gain critical praise making Rolling
Stones’ “Best Of 2006” Yearbook. On top of all of this it also gave Jai his first award
nomination for “Best Music DVD” at the 2007 ARIA Awards(Which is the Australian equivalent
of a Grammy Award, something which he would lose).
But it was a phone call in March 2006 that would really turn Jai’s life around. After writing a
synopsis for a documentary on the 90’s punk rock scene, something that had never been
documented on film before, Jai trying to get his idea off the ground would eventually be put in
touch with the very person who inspired him to want to make a documentary in the first place,
former professional skateboarder and film maker Stacy Peralta(Dogtown & Z Boys). The
phone conversation Jai had with Stacy walking through the streets of Austin, Texas was
enough to further inspire Jai to get this film made. Within 6 months, Jai had started an
independent production company, had funding and a crew attached to start shooting his
feature documentary debut ONE NINE NINE FOUR, basing themselves in Los Angeles,
California for the first part of 2007.
Shooting wrapped in April 2007 and at only 22 years of age, Jai had interviewed all of his
teenage punk rock heroes face to face and even convinced the most successful skateboarder
in history, Tony Hawk to come on board as the films narrator.
Now at 24 and having just completed his documentary on the birth, growth and explosion of
punk rock in the 90’s, ONE NINE NINE FOUR, Jai is now ready to show the world the first
ever documented history of this particular scene. The scene and bands that he grew up
listening to, the soundtrack to his youth, the tunes that would pump him and his friends up
before going surfing and skating. (Shit, now I am about to quote myself) “I mean the thing that you have to understand is that, I didn’t know any of these people before going to LA to shoot this documentary. I was just this kid from Australia that really wanted to see a film on punk rock bands in the 90’s – So much so that the only way this was going to be possible was to make it myself” Now basing himself in Los Angeles, Jai still runs the same label that he started in high school and nearly considers himself a legitimate film maker. And that, reader, is the up to date
biography of Jai Al-Attas aka Me.
FILMOGRAPHY
Boardom – 2000 (Year 11 High School Film)
Writer / Director / Editor
Board Again – 2001 (Year 12 High School Film)
Writer / Director / Editor
Kisschasy “The Movie” – 2006 (DVD Release by Virgin Records)
Writer / Director / Producer
ONE NINE NINE FOUR – 2008 (Release date and distributors TBC)
Writer / Director / Editor
OFFICIAL SITE
Event details coming soon