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.
