Come grab a slice of a rapidly disappearing surf culture! It ain't gonna be around forever!
A couple of months back, the surfing film god Jack McCoy toured his seminal film The Occumentary, expertly remastered from VHS-friendly 4:3 aspect to big-screen 16:9, turning on a spigot of joy that had McCoy and the film’s subject, Mark Occhilupo, swapping anecdotes in front of hundreds of hollering fans.
Problem was, says McCoy, all those shows quickly sold out and he had to field dozens of calls, emails, messages, from all of us, me included, too slow to get online and buy a ticket before they were gone.
So, he figured, let’s do a few encore shows through August, starting on the Gold Coast, detouring slightly north to Uluwatu in Bali, before hitting Sydney, two shows, Margaret River, one show, Perth, one show and Fremantle, one show.
The GC and Bali are done, now it’s time for Sydney and West Oz.
If you didn’t know, it’s the twenty-fifth anniversary of the film’s release and twenty-five years since Occ, then thirty-three, became the oldest surfer ever to win a world title, although Kelly Slater would later claim that crown in 2011 when he won the thing aged thirty-nine.
Los Angeles born McCoy, who is seventy-six and who’s been in rough health with an unspecified illness the past few years, speaks with a ragged whisper, although his love for surf, and for his old pal Occ, is evident.
“This is Australia’s most loved surfer and his story, well, you know we all love seeing new talent come up and succeed and we sympathise with them when they crash, but we love a damn good comeback story. Everybody who comes out and does, that is still relevant today. And Occy’s surfing in the movie is mind-bending!”
I tell ol Jackie it’s a miracle Occ has nearly made it to sixty.
“It’s not so much a miracle as it is hard work,” says McCoy. “The best thing about this tour is that Occy has really matured into what I believe is one of surfing’s greatest ambassadors. He speaks really well. Everything comes from the heart. He loves sitting there at the end of the movie signing autographs, talking to kids and people bring their books and their posters and their underwear and whatever else they want for him to draw on. And when you think about longevity, at the end of the movie Gerry Lopez says, ‘He’s a real surfer through and through. He’ll still be surfing in another ten years if he plays his cards correctly.’”
Here, McCoy hoots.
“He’s done twenty five and he’s still surfing as good as ever! And he’s stoked on surfing! He surfs every day. He just wants to ride waves. And he’s got nine kids! When I call him up and ask him what he’s doing he says, ‘Taking the kids to school. Picking the kids up from school, taking ‘em down the beach, going putt-putt golfing!’”
Legends don’t stick around forever, of course.
Grab a ticket to one of the remaining shows and get a piece of rapidly disappearing surf culture before it’s gone forever and you’re stuck listening to hedge fund VALs and Inertia Bro’s comparing surf ponchos and beach carts.
