29 May Number 7 – Calgary BMX Circa 2004
Those familiar with Canadian BMX in the early 2000s may have seen the Calgary based video The Western Front. Filmed and edited by Marc Doucette, it featured all of the prominent Calgary locals of that time, and included standout parts from Danny Cox (one of the all time great Canadian street riders of the era…. IYKYK), Dave Myers, and a young King of Streets.
I’ve heard a few mentions over the years that Marc made a follow up video to the Western Front that never came out. Marc passed away earlier this year, and as part of the remembrance of Marc and his legacy of bmx videos, Richard Gallant has gotten that follow up online.
This video is an incredible time capsule of the era, in what has long been one of Canada’s best bmx scenes. Calgary has incredible street spots, a long history of trails, and a core scene held together with Millenium park at the center of it all. The city has always had great riders and a cool and welcoming scene. It must be surreal to see this entire video come out 22 years after filming concluded.
From Richard:
Number 7
So this is it, first off I really have to dedicate this video to Marc Doucette, the man is a true OG. When I started BMX, he had already made a few videos. This wa sin the 90s, and Marc was making them using 2 VHS players. Eventually, I was going on trips to Halifax, Truro and PEI, with Marc and the gang welcoming me into the crew, riding and stacking clips for all of his videos. Eventually, a few of us moved to Calgary and Marc made the video Western Front. It was. a scene video that highlighted the ever expanding BMX scene in and around Calgary. For the next couple of years, he had filmed and stacked more clips for another video. He edited and made a bunch of sections but that’s where it all stalled out. As the years passed, he got more into the Music scene in Calgary and his life evolved into that journey More than BMX.
Tragically, Marc passed away in January and I ended up with his computer in my hands to render the final version of his video. I asked around for clips and photos of Marc to stitch together a slideshow for a last addition, dedicating it all to our lost brother.