BeachGrit bamboozled in theatrical fake cancer stunt!
Well, this is embarrassing. Very embarassing. Like one of those dreams where you’re back in seventh grade and you’re butt naked and all the kids are calling you “shrimp dick.” Only you’re not gonna wake up and feel a terrible sense of relief, because it’s not a fucking dream.
Remember Michael Kocher, the guy wrote a few pieces for your beloved BG somewhere around a year ago?
He talked about being a marine, quitting surfing to sell heroin and his struggle with terminal cancer.
We linked to his GoFundMe account and some of you donated cash to help him with bills. I didn’t, couldn’t see the point of helping a dying man avoid debt. Hardly a problem, is it?
So, anyway, yeah, it was all bullshit.
Kocher is a cunning junkie, used everyone’s inherent decency to play the “I’m dying” card, and soaked people for some cash he could spend on his habit.
I called Kocher, currently hiding out in a hotel somewhere in Colorado, to ask him just exactly what the fuck he was thinking. Fun conversation, for all his supposed contrition it was just more narcissistic bobbing and weaving. Always trying to deflect blame, reframe the narrative.
You can listen to the half hour plus of audio HERE (The first few minutes of audio are kind of garbled, but it clears up.)
As far as BeachGrit’s culpability in the whole affair, man, I don’t even know what to say. We helped him spread his bullshit, he linked to our site on his GoFundMe page. I always suspected he was lying, didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to be the guy who calls a cancer patient a liar. But I should have. When his stories didn’t add up. When I had a million reasons to doubt his line, I kept quiet. And in doing so became party to his scam.
Which is what bothers me most about the affair. I rarely hesitate to call people out, but I didn’t this time because it might’ve made me look bad. Which was a fucking pussy move. One of which I’m a bit ashamed. Not in a rend-my-clothes-and-slit-my-wrists-way, but it’s a hard lesson learned.
As far as everyone else, people who donated, don’t feel bad. Being compassionate, wanting to help a person in need, that’s a good thing. Sure, there are predators out there who will take advantage, but not many. Which is what makes it so easy for them.
Seriously, who the fuck lies about having cancer?
You did a great job slowly poking at him. And he was eating up the attention. He seemed upset for the call to be over. I’m sure he would have loved to talk and talk about himself all night long. Or until he needed his next fix.
People from BG gave $$ to this guy? Jeezus, based on the articles and behavior in the comment section I assumed most of you were ravenous wolves, desperate to claw others down in the name of clicks and up votes, not the softie type that extends a hand. I guess I was wrong. I’m tearing up.
I wanna know how you tracked this all down, Rory. A surfish Murder She Wrote!
“Its crazy what you did!” The question remains. If this is the real journalism, which I think you guys do consider yourselves journalist/writers…Then why was his story and condition not fact checked? Seeing pop ups and every time I click in the wrong spot taking me to Banks home page. This is a for profit operation. Somebody dropped the ball! With this coming to light is Beach Grit any different than Sustainable Surf in the prose of past post condemning their niche?
BG. real journalism? i think you took the same drugs.
Wish i could blame all my deficits and miss perceptions on extra curricular activities O’l DA.. The fact is I can only blame myself.. Staring in the mirror I find it difficult to not walk away shaking my head.
GoFundMe is giving full refunds and coming after me for full restitution and interest, along with fraud charges. Which is how it should be. I don’t defend what I did at all.
Rory is still a dick for trying to get me to name people’s names on that recording. I understand trying to get me to incriminate myself, but why try and fuck people who didn’t do anything by tying them to this?
Ha!
I love that you still think you’re in a position to determine what’s right and what’s wrong.
I know you’re not really gonna turn yourself in, better stop posting and start running. Plenty of people looking to drop the dime on your ass.
I’ll check in on Facebook from the jail. You can then do an inmate search for Denver County this evening.
I hope you get the help that you need.
so did that happen?
Yes it happened. Then I got out. :/
Don’t know you at all but wow man you know people die from cancer and every cent you took as a donation could of been used to save someone’s life? Not only did you scam people over in my eyes what you did is almost murder, pretty much the lowest fucking thing I person can do dude.
I don’t disagree. I did a really awful fucking thing.
I don’t get it. So your cancer got cured? Don’t let ANY of these clowns here tell you that you DIDN’T have cancer. God has great things in store for you friend! Enjoy.
Read the article again…
I was being fatuous.
Thank fuck! We don’t need anymore mentally challenged commentators…
Ah ah this coming from guys that got scammed out of $… too funny!
fuck crowdfunding, its only good for getting the next underfinanced Zack Braff film made. this “feel sorry for me” stuff has so much potential for abuse.
“I always suspected he was lying, didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to be the guy who calls a cancer patient a liar.”
and junkies can smell an angle like that from further than they can smell dope cooking in a spoon. its rife with shit like this, we just know this kook cause he surfed.
I think the biggest kick in the balls is that I sent that prick some money while I was still paying off my own cancer debts.
Proof that there’s no room for sentimentality on the internet. Lesson learned.
Mahalo for your generosity. It still means something positive in your life.
Remember about 3 or 4 months ago when you reposted his story and I said “I don’t think he’s really dying”? Yeah, me too.
i appreciate your willingness to call em like you see em and take the flak for it. more people like you would make this shit harder to pull, but most people don’t want to look like a dick.
So I’m not the biggest scumbag ever? Ok cool.
my old boss lied about having cancer to get laid at a bar, while he had a girlfriend. full shaved head, eyebrows, the works for faking going through chemo. after working 80hrs a week and sleeping under my editing desk while this prick was out doing shit like this he accused me of being on meth since i worked so much. fuck people like that. you know how many hospital visits ive sat through with family members going through actual chemo?
his girl doesn’t sound like the sharpest tool in the shed
She might have shaved his eyebrows..
We knew he was lying and we looked like the assholes that called out a “cancer patient.”
But he did more terrible things! To so many people. Feeding young girls drugs until they blacked out or couldnt stand and taking advantage of them, taking advantage of his “bestfriends”. That’s what hurt the worst. He was supposed to be my bestfriend. This dude is huge by the way, he was supposed to protect me. & instead he took advantage of a situation and stabbed his bestfriend in the back.
I always had doubts about his character, but have such a hard time believing that somebody could be so fucking evil.
I guess let this be a lesson.. you could be friends with somebody for 25 years, and they could still fool you.
I just want him to go back to Alaska already. He’s done enough damage here!!!!!
I hope you read this. You’re such a shit person & I trusted you.
Equally as uncool as the fake cancer. To burn friends after 25 years!!!
Seriously you have to wonder WTF is going on in this world
Yeah I definitely didn’t mean to say it like what I was saying was worse than the fake cancer because it’s all shitty. I’m glad he’s behind bars and everyone is getting their money back.
I am a sucker too Rory, but I was too far removed to donate. It takes a special kind of sick to pull the fake cancer card. Lying seems like second nature to him. Drugs suck. It’s a shame too, some of his writing was damn good. A Dora-eque scam for the ages…
Oddly, my thought process was similar. From Dora to Billabong and Quiksilver surfing, scamming and drugs go hand in hand. How are people shocked?
Dear BeachGrit,
You have a large cash reward waiting for you in a money marketing account at the Bank of Lagos. Please email me your checking account number, routing number, social security number and your PIN.
Love,
The internets
p.s. Grow a brain cell. Dumb asses.
Yassss karma is going to fuck this guy so hard.
…I’m thrilled the theatrical Mr Kocher isn’t dying! He takes us on such a ride!
I thought his cancer piece was shit, but didn’t say anything, because who wants to be the cunt to kick a dying man in the figs. I’m kind of half fascinated, half horrified he pulled it off.
There does to be something deeply emblematic of the times we live in in this tale.
Any chance of getting any of the dough back?
That’s sort of how I feel about my stabmag subscription since they sold out to Stitch.. cunts
Your first mistake was subscribing
Then I doubled down and told you cunts about it.. yep, I brought this on myself..
Solid interview Rory. And I want my $50 back + interest Kocher.
From what I understand you’re getting it back and I’m going to pay the interest in more charges!
Yip, by all accounts I’ll get my $$ back thanks to the “scammed by Kocher support group”!!
Entertaining from this end to say the least, but fucking glad you’re not family, foe or friend.
Nah, its because my friend’s older sister, who I’ve known for 25 years, reported me for fraud. That group is predominantly a bunch of people from the internet with a bone to pick.
Regardless, I apologize for deceiving you and I hope life goes smoothly for you.
Definition of a cunt.
That does it: no more rides for Trustafarian hitch hikers to Kalalau for me…
Oh my.
He does write well though.
Unless it was plagiarized, I guess.
It wasn’t.