The Red Bulletin July 2019

Nerd gets around: Alfred’s North Hollywood collective, Illegal Civilization, blends skateboarding, fashion, music, film, commerce and more
“At 10, I was like,
‘I’m done with
school. I want to
film skating’”
apartment in Century City (a business
district in west LA) with big views of
Downtown LA and the Hollywood Hills.
Having spent the first 20 minutes
of our interview alone while Alfred
took a work call, I’ve been able to
familiarise myself with his personal
effects, to get a window into his mind.
There are cabinets and shelves packed
with hundreds of DVD boxes containing
full-series volumes of shows including
The Simpsons, Curb Your Enthusiasm,
The Sopranos and The Wire, plus
numerous books on old Hollywood,
filmmaking and music.
A sideboard behind his beige couch
displays dozens of issues of a Japanese
skateboarding magazine alongside back
issues of Rolling Stone. A special edition
of Life magazine with Michelle Obama
on the cover sits on his kitchen counter.
Above all this hangs a large stretched
canvas, painted bright yellow with the
10 ‘Civ Commandments’ in neon coral:
1. Don’t talk in movies.
2. Attention is the greatest gift you
can give.
3. Work hard for what you want.
4. Don’t make excuses.
5. Chase after those who chase
after you.
6. Respect your parents.
7. Don’t lie about your feelings.
8. Address problems when they arise.
9. Take time for yourself.
10. Hit people up to hang out and
just hang out. Don’t expect anything
out of them.
30 THE RED BULLETIN