BUNKER 77
3 December 2018 Texto: David Moreu. Fotografía: Archivo Bunker 77.
LA LEYENDA MÁS SALVAJE DEL SURF
(english below) Ciertas historias resultan tan asombrosas que es fácil pensar que han salido de la imaginación más desquiciada de un novelista amateur. Sin embargo, a veces el destino encuentra su manera de demostrarnos que todo aquello que parecía ficción es más real que la vida misma y nos lo presenta en forma de documental para la gran pantalla. A lo largo de las décadas, el mundo del surf nos ha sorprendido con varios relatos apasionantes que han contribuido a magnificar la leyenda de este deporte, pero el año pasado se estrenó un título que ha roto todos los esquemas y ya se considera como una obra de referencia para todos los amantes de esta cultura. Nos referimos a “Bunker 77”, la extraordinaria, salvaje y brutal historia de un personaje llamado Bunker Spreckels, que convirtió su vida en una montaña rusa de excesos a pie de playa y la vendió a los medios de comunicación mucho antes de que existieran los reality shows. No en vano, era el único heredero de una familia que había hecho fortuna en el sector industrial y su madre se había casado con Clark Gable, una de las mayores estrellas del Hollywood clásico. Sin embargo, este joven decidió enfrentarse a ese mundo de abundancia y practicar surf como si no hubiera un mañana en el horizonte. Se trata de una narración fascinante que nos lleva desde la década de los 50 en la utópica ciudad de Los Ángeles, hasta un desmadrado road trip por Sudáfrica en medio del Apartheid de los años 70, pasando por largas temporadas en la North Shore de Hawái y toda clase de excesos propios de un outsider que vive en un presente constante de vicio y decadencia. Hemos tenido la oportunidad de entrevistar al director Takuji Masuda y al fotógrafo Art Brewer (amigo personal de Bunker) para trazar este relato de manera conjunta y así indagar en cómo se gestó el documental y descubrir la cara oculta de un personaje que revolucionó el mundo del surf con su actitud de rebelde sin causa.
Durante tu etapa como profesional del surf, también
aprovechaste para escribir artículos de viajes. ¿Sentías la necesidad de
reflejar el mundo que te rodeaba? ¿Qué influencia tuvieron Art Brewer,
C.R. Stecyk y Glen E. Friedman en tu manera de contar historias?
[Takuji Masuda] Una vez terminé mis estudios
universitarios, me dediqué durante una temporada al surf como
profesional en la categoría de longboard para marcas como Donald
Takayama y Oxbow. Era lo más parecido a conducir coches de carreras
clásicos junto a personajes legendarios. Como es evidente, la parte
histórica de este deporte era algo que nos interesaba a muchos de
nosotros y, con mis compañeros de equipo, tuve la oportunidad de conocer
a los verdaderos pioneros del surf de la década de los 60 para entender
mejor qué sucedió entonces. Fue en aquellos días cuando aprendí muchas
cosas sobre la cultura de playa y el espíritu clásico de los surfers.
Conocí a Craig en 1992 a través de Lance Carson, una leyenda del surf de
Malibú, mientras yo todavía estudiaba la carrera. Conocí a Art Brewer
en 1994 en una sesión de fotos para una revista. Con ellos dos y Glen E.
Friedman nos embarcamos más tarde en una publicación llamada Super X
Media, que estaba centrada en la cultura urbana y de playa, además del
arte que va relacionado. Lo pasamos genial hablando sobre temas underground
y creo que trabajar con estos “padrinos” de la cultura alternativa me
permitió tener un punto de vista más auténtico y también me ofreció una
perspectiva global para hacer cosas únicas.
1969 fue un año muy especial para ti porque empezaste a
trabajar como fotógrafo para Surfer Magazine, una de las publicaciones
más importantes de la época. ¿Qué recuerdos tienes de aquella
experiencia?
[Art Brewer] Tienes razón, fue un año muy especial
porque justo me gradué en el instituto y, a finales de agosto, me
contrató John Severson para trabajar en Surfer Magazine. Entonces me
mandaron tres meses a Hawái, de octubre a enero. Fue la primera vez que
iba a la North Shore y recuerdo que en aquellos días todavía era un
lugar mágico y sin demasiada gente. Tuve la enorme suerte de trabajar
junto a un buen amigo y mentor, el cámara de cine Spyder Willis. Además,
había un coche a nuestra entera disposición, la gasolina estaba pagada,
teníamos dinero para comida y un lugar donde dormir al lado de la playa
de Pupukea. Una vez Spyder y yo nos instalamos, John Severson, su
esposa Louise y sus dos hijas aparecieron para compartir la casa y
trabajar en la película “Pacific Vibrations”. Surfer Magazine empezaba a conocerse como la biblia de aquel deporte.
En 1990 te matriculaste en la Pepperdine University, que
estaba situada cerca de la playa de Malibú donde habían cabalgado olas
leyendas como Miki Dora. ¿Por qué crees que la cultura del sur de
California se ha convertido en un fenómeno tan popular?
[Takuji Masuda] Miki ya no estaba en Malibú cuando yo
llegué a la universidad, pero sí que tuve la oportunidad de coger olas
junto a un tipo tan genuino como Lance Carson. Tal como Jimmy Ganzer
comenta en el documental “Bunker 77”: “Hollywood siempre ha sido una gran influencia para los chavales que crecen en Los Ángeles”.
Por este motivo hay tanta gente que se preocupa por las apariencias y
el culto a la imagen. Muchas veces es pretencioso. Miki, Bunker y Tony
Alva tenían un vínculo especial porque se veían a si mismos como iconos y
compartían las mismas ganas de notoriedad. Creo que en aquella obsesión
por el estilo se esconde una historia digna de ser contada. También
resulta interesante que el resto del mundo se sorprenda tanto con esas
imágenes. Incluso cuando yo era adolescente, sentía el deseo de formar
parte de todo eso.
Tu primer encuentro con Bunker fue en octubre de 1969, cuando
él era un adolescente que vivía como un salvaje en un bosque de la
North Shore. ¿Cuál fue tu primera impresión y cómo era su personalidad
en aquellos días?
[Art Brewer] Estábamos en la playa frente a Pipeline,
yo tenía 18 años y Bunker 19. Todavía no nos conocíamos, pero algunos
amigos que habían ido con él al instituto de Cal Western en San Diego me
habían contado historias sobre él. Resulta que habían cogido olas
juntos en un spot llamado Newbrake en 1967 y entonces compartían casa en
la North Shore. Allí pasaba largas temporadas y, básicamente, dormía en
el sofá, robaba su comida y se cambiaba de ropa. Sin embargo, también
dormía varias noches en un antiguo búnker de la Segunda Guerra Mundial
que estaba situado en una colina cerca de la playa. Era muy delgado,
apenas tenía grasa en el cuerpo, practicaba surf cada día, robaba fruta
de los agricultores locales y comía mangos directamente de los árboles,
además, cogía prestado dinero de sus amigos. En aquella época llevaba
una vida salvaje, tomaba pequeñas dosis de LSD y se atrevía con el
peyote. Tuve la sensación de que Bunker no se preocupaba por el mundo,
sino que vivía del campo y de sus amigos. A pesar de que venía de una
familia millonaria, actuaba como si no tuviera dinero. Su manera de ser
encajaba a la perfección con el título del documental de surf “Free and Easy”.
Supongo que la gran pregunta es: ¿Cuándo escuchaste por
primera vez la leyenda de Bunker Spreckels y en qué momento decidiste
rodar un documental sobre su apasionante vida?
[Takuji Masuda] La primera vez que leí algo sobre
Bunker fue en la revista The Surfer’s Journal en la primavera de 1992.
El número entero era muy interesante, pero su historia fue lo que me
llamó realmente la atención. Después hice muchas preguntas a Art y a
Craig cada vez que quedábamos. Y en la revista Super X Media publicamos
dos reportajes sobre su vida. Cuando lanzamos un artículo de 43 páginas
sobre el Pacific Ocean Pier y Dogtown en 1998, tuve la oportunidad de
aprender cómo un reportaje puede convertirse en un documental porque
entonces rodaron “Dogtown and Z-Boys” y luego hicieron la película de ficción “Lords of Dogtown”. Me informé sobre los derechos de la historia de Bunker y, en 2005, decidí que quería hacer un documental sobre su leyenda.
En el documental explicas que ese día en la North Shore
tomaste varias fotos de Bunker solo en la playa. Sin embargo, lo que más
te llamó la atención fue el diseño poco frecuente de su tabla…
[Art Brewer] Cuando nos conocimos, su imagen me
recordaba al resto de nosotros en la North Shore, con el pelo rubio
cortado en forma de bol y sólo preocupados por el océano y el surf.
Entonces estábamos en nuestro propio mundo. Aquella tabla Alma era
interesante por su diseño, sin embargo, lo que me pareció más fascinante
fue su energía y su fuerza estando allí sentado en medio de aquella
luz, justo antes del atardecer. El reportaje no tomó forma hasta unos
años después, aunque empezó con aquella docena de fotos que hice esa
tarde de 1969 en Pipeline. Creo que debía haber tomado LSD porque
parecía que tuviera una aura a su alrededor y ésta se proyectaba
mientras estaba sentado detrás de la tabla roja. El editor gráfico de
Surfer Magazine cogió aquella imagen, la reencuadró e hizo varias
copias. Resulta que el editor de la revista Popular Photography la vio y
quería utilizarla para una portada, pero necesitaba que Bunker firmara
su consentimiento. Esto fue un año y medio después de mi viaje a Hawái.
Así que contacté con Bunker por carta a través de un amigo en común y me
respondió dos semanas después diciendo que no nos daba permiso. Eso me
jodió mucho. Le mandé otra carta diciéndole que era un miserable niño
rico, que se jodiera y ese fue el fin de la conversación hasta 1973.
Los proyectos biográficos necesitan una gran cantidad de
material de archivo para resultar exitosos. ¿Cómo conseguiste reunir
todas esas fotos y películas personales de Bunker? ¿Descubriste alguna
anécdota que no conocieras?
[Takuji Masuda] Tuvimos mucha suerte de poder contar
con el material de archivo de Art Brewer y de Craig. Su entrevista
grabada en audio se convirtió en el hilo narrativo central del
documental y la mayor parte de las imágenes provienen de la colección de
fotos y de películas que había hecho Art. También conseguimos localizar
lo que algunos creían películas familiares perdidas de Bunker. Mi
actitud como director fue mostrarme muy curioso y, como no había
demasiada información sobre Bunker, no me quedaba más alternativa que
escuchar. Tony Alva y Ellie Silva fueron las personas más cercanas a
Bunker en sus últimos años de vida. Tenían tanta confianza con él como
si fueran parte de su familia.
Unos años después de vuestro primer encuentro en la playa,
volviste a coincidir con Bunker porque Surfer Magazine aceptó producirle
una película de surf en Sudáfrica. ¿Podrías contarnos como surgió ese
proyecto tan inverosímil titulado “End Of Summer”?
[Art Brewer] Bunker me apreciaba porque yo no estaba
interesado en su fortuna ni tampoco tenía ningún negocio sucio que
requiriera su dinero, como sucedía con el 80% de sus amigos. Por este
motivo creo que le gustaba practicar surf conmigo y hacer sesiones de
fotos. En la primavera de 1975, me preguntó si estaría interesado en
viajar a Jeffrey’s Bay en Sudáfrica ese mismo verano. Le respondí que
estaría encantado. Todo lo que dijo fue: “Perfecto, iremos”. Yo
soy una persona realista y pensé que no me lo creería hasta que
estuviéramos en el avión. Pasaron dos meses y medio, recibí una llamada
de Bunker y me dijo que fuera a Honolulu con mi pasaporte al día
siguiente. Llegué a su apartamento en la torre Ala Moana al anochecer e,
inmediatamente, fuimos junto a su novia Ellie a las oficinas de la
aerolínea Pan-American para comprar tres billetes en primera clase por
todo el mundo. Entonces me contó el itinerario y me dijo que lo único
que quería a cambio de pagarme el viaje era que llevara mis tablas de
surf y las cámaras para rodar una película y hacer fotos. Él se hacía
cargo de todos los gastos con la idea de partir a finales de junio. La
primera parada sería en Los Ángeles para recoger material
cinematográfico y construir carcasas para que las cámaras no se mojaran.
Al principio, el proyecto sólo nos implicaba a mí, a Bunker y a Ellie.
Yo había llamado a Surfer Magazine, les pregunté si estaban interesados
en publicar un reportaje sobre ese viaje y me dijeron que sí. Aunque no
podían poner dinero. Por este motivo Bunker y yo nos reunimos con el
editor Steve Pezman cuando fuimos a Los Ángeles. Nos alojamos en el
Hotel Beverly Hills durante una semana y media para prepararlo todo.
Luego volamos a Londres, pasamos otra semana allí y después viajamos a
Sudáfrica. Fue durante el trayecto entre Johannesburgo y Durban que
conocimos a un tipo australiano que justo acababa de salir de la cárcel
en su país. Se llamaba David Landsley, se dirigía a Durban para
practicar surf y quería trabajar como soldador con la idea de empezar su
vida de cero después de haber arrojado a un hombre desde el segundo
piso de una casa como consecuencia de una pelea. Resulta que ese tío
había intentado violar a su esposa. Bunker contrató a David en el mismo
avión para que trabajara para él y nos ayudó conduciendo el segundo
Mercedes-Benz. Se convirtió en el roadie personal de Bunker.
Muchos profesionales afirman que los documentales realmente
toman forma en la sala de montaje. ¿Cómo fue el proceso de edición de “Bunker 77”?
¿Cuándo tuviste la idea de utilizar fragmentos de películas de Clark
Gable y de Elvis Presley para ilustrar momentos de la vida de Bunker?
[Takuji Masuda] “Bunker 77” es mi primer
largometraje, así que aprendí muchas cosas en cada fase de la
producción. Ahora me parece bastante irónico el hecho de que yo
disfrutaba mucho enseñando a la gente a practicar surf y, mientras
preparaba el documental, muchos amigos que formaban parte del mundo
creativo acabaron participando en todo el proceso. Tuve la oportunidad
de conocer a algunos de los mejores profesionales en casi todos los
campos visuales y de sonido. Creo que nos aferramos a nuestras
expectativas y también a las de los demás. Es un caso muy parecido al de
Bunker Spreckels. La idea de usar las películas de Clark Gable fue algo
completamente natural debido a que la presión que Bunker sentía a la
hora de responder a la imagen de su legado familiar debía revolverle la
conciencia. Fue curioso que el personaje que interpretaba Elvis Presley
en el filme “Blue Hawaii” se pareciera tanto a Bunker, así que también lo incluimos como una referencia contemporánea.
En aquella película rodada en Sudáfrica, Bunker interpretaba a
un personaje llamado The Player, que era lo más parecido a una versión
surfista de Elvis Presley. ¿Cuánto crees que había de realidad y de
ficción en esa actitud tan grandilocuente?
[Art Brewer] El nombre del personaje lo sacamos de un libro que Bunker había estudiado y anotado a conciencia. Se titulaba “The Player”
y contaba la filosofía de vida de un chulo negro. Él quiso adoptar esa
actitud mientras viajábamos por Sudáfrica y puede que la gente pensara
que era su alter ego. Bunker también decía que era productor de cine
porno cuando aterrizamos y eso apareció en los periódicos porque causó
mucho revuelo. Lo que él quería era llamar la atención y generar
rumores, aunque no fuera verdad. A Bunker le gustaba ser controvertido e
interpretar un papel para que la gente pensara que era más extravagante
de lo que realmente aparentaba. Montaba un espectáculo y daba a la
gente de Jeffrey’s Bay motivos para hablar de él. Ten en cuenta que
aquel pueblo era muy tranquilo e incluso aburrido, no había nada mejor
que hacer que practicar surf. Nos echaron del Hotel Savoy después de que
él rompiera el lavabo al tratar de hacer una pipa con una botella de
Coca-Cola para fumar un poco de “veneno” que había conseguido en Durban.
Quería darles algo de qué hablar a los lugareños blancos. Lo mismo
sucedió cuando organizó su fiesta de cumpleaños en el Beach Hotel, donde
nos alojamos después de que nos echaran del otro. Ese hotel estaba
cerrado, pero él habló con los propietarios y les hizo una oferta para
que lo abrieran y nos dejaran hospedarnos. En la gran fiesta que montó
había una zona de baile y bebidas gratis. Invitó a todo el pueblo y,
después de mucho beber, las cosas empezaron a torcerse porque un
granjero sudafricano se puso demasiado cariñoso con su novia. La versión
corta de la historia es que se desató la locura, los dos Mercedes-Benz
se destrozaron y, al día siguiente, yo tomé la decisión de dejar de
trabajar para Bunker. Sin embargo, él acabó apuntándome con su revolver
PPK Walther del calibre 25. Una semana más tarde me pidió que volviera
para hacer fotos.
Hoy parece que los documentales de surf no sólo giran en
torno a olas perfectas, sino que también son una ventana abierta a
historias asombrosas. ¿Cuál era tu motivación al empezar “Bunker 77” y qué has aprendido por el camino?
[Takuji Masuda] Mi objetivo era hacer una película de
la que el propio Bunker hubiera estado satisfecho. Era un reto muy
grande, pero cuando Tony Alva y Ellie Silva me dijeron que creían que a
Bunker le habría gustado, me sentí muy alagado. Muchas personas cercanas
a él me han comentado que, gracias al documental, han descubierto cosas
de su amigo que desconocían y que eso les permitió poner su historia en
contexto. Ahora sé que Bunker desconcertó a mucha gente, incluso a sus
amigos más íntimos. Cuando empecé a trabajar en este proyecto todavía no
me había casado. Sin embargo, durante la producción, me convertí en
marido y en padre de dos niños. Evidentemente, esto aportó otra
dimensión a mi criterio como persona y como realizador. A lo largo de
todo el proceso, me hice muchas preguntas sobre “cómo actuar frente a
diversas situaciones” y fue saludable tener el ejemplo de Bunker delante
para examinar aspectos de mi propia vida.
Ellie Silva, la novia de Bunker en aquella época, también
viajó con el equipo de rodaje a las playas de Sudáfrica y apareció en la
película. ¿Cómo definirías la relación tan curiosa y autodestructiva
que mantenían?
[Art Brewer] Eran novios y compañeros de viaje en lo
que parecía ser una auténtica historia de amor. Creo que Bunker la amaba
de verdad y se preocupaba por ella. El equipo de rodaje era muy
reducido, sólo David Landsley y un servidor. Ellie salía por allí, iba a
la playa, miraba a los surfers y estaba con Bunker. Pasó todo el viaje
con nosotros. Creo que todo fue bien hasta que regresamos a los Estados
Unidos porque él empezó a tontear con la heroína y a ella no le gustaba
verlo de esa manera. Ellie también lo amaba y se preocupaba por él. Sin
embargo, después de medio año, ella se fue a vivir a San Francisco,
esperando que él se desenganchara. Bunker vivía en Los Ángeles, así que
Spyder y yo íbamos a verlo cuando estaba en la Torre Sunset y nos
interesábamos por cómo se encontraba. Entonces Spyder trabajaba en una
película titulada “Decato”, que era una especie de prueba de
pantalla en la que Bunker dejaba fluir su vertiente más extrema. A veces
no sabíamos si era realidad o ficción. No vimos demasiado a Bunker en
el verano de 1976 y, cuando se marchó a la North Shore y a Kauai en
invierno de ese año, Ellie ya no viajó con él.
Spike Jonze afirmó que tu documental puede interpretarse como “una precuela de Dogtown and Z-Boys”
y, además, tu carrera tiene muchos puntos en común con la de Stacy
Peralta. ¿Te influyó de alguna manera aquella obra tan popular?
[Takuji Masuda] Spike es un director asombroso y me
hizo de mentor en varias fases complicadas del documental. Él siempre
dijo que Bunker era el punto de unión entre la escena del surf de Los
Ángeles y el movimiento de skate iniciado por Dogtown. Siento mucho
respeto hacia Stacy Peralta porque hizo una película brillante sobre su
propia cultura y aportó su propio estilo visual. Espero haber sido capaz
de encontrar mi propio estilo narrativo con “Bunker 77”.
Cuando lograba dejar de lado sus locuras, Bunker era un gran
surfer y lo demostró en J-Bay. ¿Qué crees que significaba para él este
deporte y la cultura a la que estaba asociado?
[Art Brewer] El surf era el motivo principal por el que
habíamos ido a Sudáfrica y Bunker era un gran surfer. Tenía mucha
energía y le gustaba coger olas con muchos estilos distintos, con
diversas tablas, desde las más pequeñas, hasta fishes de Steve
Lis y longboards. Cuando estábamos en el agua, siempre montaba un
espectáculo. Cabalgaba las olas como nadie lo había hecho en Jeffrey’s
Bay o en Bruce’s Beauties con su fish Big Black Faith. Tenía un
enorme sentido del ritmo, casi como si estuviera bailando. Le encantaba
este deporte y, mientras estaba en el agua, parecía que encontraba la
paz. Tal como dicen los marineros: “El océano tiende a limpiarte”.
Para terminar, te propongo una pregunta de ciencia ficción.
Si tuvieras una fabulosa máquina del tiempo y pudieras conocer a Bunker
en 1976, ¿qué crees que habría sucedido?
[Takuji Masuda] Es curioso porque él era un tipo que
cabalgó olas en Pipeline con una de las tablas más cortas que existían y
yo hice lo opuesto con mis longboards. No sé si le hubiera gustado
estar conmigo o si yo hubiera querido estar con él en 1976. Hubiera sido
complicado porque mucha gente acabó mal con Bunker. Sin embargo, ambos
somos cineastas independientes, así que habría sido divertido hablar de
este tema porque algunas de las películas indies más asombrosas
se rodaron en Los Ángeles en aquella época. Aunque una cosa está clara y
es que lo habríamos pasado genial en 1968 en la North Shore de Oahu
practicando surf como unos adolescentes que vivían sin ninguna
preocupación.
La última pregunta de la entrevista nos lleva al trágico
final de la historia. ¿Recuerdas cuándo recibiste la noticia de que
Bunker había fallecido en Hawái?
[Art Brewer] Sucedieron muchas cosas en el invierno de
1976 en Hawái. Yo no quería estar en la North Shore porque el ambiente
había cambiado mucho con la llegada de la heroína. La revista Rolling
Stone contactó con C.R. Stecyk para que pasara una temporada con Bunker y
lo entrevistara en su habitación del hotel Kui Lima (ahora se llama
Turtle Bay). El editor ya tenía las fotos en blanco y negro y las
diapositivas en color, así que sólo tenía que esperar a que Craig le
mandara las cintas de audio con la entrevista para transcribirla. La
noche del 5 de enero de 1977, de vuelta a los Estados Unidos, Craig y yo
recibimos una llamada de Bunker amenazándonos con matarnos si el
reportaje para Rolling Stone no se publicaba en breve. Ni Craig ni yo
teníamos control sobre la revista, así que pasamos del tema. Dos días
después, me llamó por teléfono mi amigo Rory Russell, diciendo que había
recibido una llamada de Randy Rarrick contándole que Bunker había
muerto en Oahu en la casa de un tipo llamado Charlie Sneed, cerca de
Rocky Point. Charlie era un camello de la Costa Este. Bunker falleció en
su casa después de que Charlie y su esposa hubieran ido a dormir. Él
estaba en su habitación, había bebido mucho, había tomado coca y había
ingerido Quaaludes porque estaba intentando desengancharse de la
heroína. Su idea era regresar a Los Ángeles para desintoxicarse. Murió a
los 27 años, como Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix y Jim Morrison. Cuando
Craig y yo hablamos más tarde, no podíamos creerlo. Ambos pensamos que
era otro de sus espectáculos.
Bunker 77 premiere in Los Angeles
English:
BUNKER 77.
THE WILDEST LEGEND IN SURFING HISTORY
Certain stories are so amazing that it is easy to think they come from the most deranged imagination of an amateur novelist. However, sometimes fate finds its own way to show us that everything that seemed fiction is more real than life itself and presents it in the form of a documentary for the big screen. Throughout the decades, the world of surfing has surprised us with several fascinating stories that have contributed to magnify the legend of this sport, but last year a title broke all the schemes and is already considered as a milestone for all the lovers of this culture. We are talking about “Bunker 77”, the extraordinary, wild and brutal story of a character named Bunker Spreckels, who turned his life into a roller coaster of excesses on the beach and sold it to the media long before there were reality shows. Not in vain, he was the only heir of a family that had made a fortune in the industrial sector and his mother had married Clark Gable, one of the biggest stars in the golden era of Hollywood. However, this young man decided to confront this world of abundance and surfing as if there was no tomorrow on the horizon. It is a fascinating tale that takes us from the 50’s in the utopian city of Los Angeles, to a wild road trip through South Africa in the midst of the Apartheid in the 70’s, through long seasons on the North Shore of Hawaii and all kinds of crazy decisions typical of an outsider who lives in a constant present of vice and decadence. We had the opportunity to interview director Takuji Masuda and the photographer Art Brewer (personal friend of Bunker) to trace this story together and find out how the documentary was conceived. Also, the hidden face of a character who revolutionized the world of surfing with his rebellious attitude without cause.
TAKUJI MASUDA
Let’s go to the beginning of this story.
During the time when you were surfing professionally, you also wrote
traveling articles for some magazines. Did you have an urge to tell
stories or reflect what was happening around you? What kind of influence
did Art Brewer, C.R. Stecyk and Glen E. Friedman had on you in those
early days?
After graduating from my university studies I had a jab at surfing
professionally as a longboard surfer with brands like Donald Takayama,
Oxbow, etc. which is sort of like racing classic cars with legendary
folks. Naturally the historical component was very critical to some of
us and my young buddies and I pursued meeting the actual pioneers of
surfing from the 60’s for our deeper understanding. It was during this
time that I would learn about Beach Culture as well as the classical
ethos of surfers. Originally I met Craig through Malibu’s surfing legend
Lance Carson while I was still a student in Malibu in 1992. I met Art
Brewer in 1994 to shoot some photos for a magazine article. With them
and Glen E Friedman, we embarked on publishing Super X Media which
focused on Beach, Street and their art culture. We had fun featuring
underground topics and subjects. I think working with some of these god
fathers of the culture gave me an authentic lens and having an global
perspective helped to make it unique.
In 1990 you enrolled into Pepperdine University (located near
Malibu Beach), and you surfed next to icons like Miki Dora. Did you
have the chance to talk to him? As a storyteller, why do you think the
Southern Californian beach culture has become so powerful worldwide?
Miki didn’t surf Malibu by the time I got to Malibu but I got to paddle
out with Lance Carson which was really cool as he is such a cool guy. As
Jimmy Ganzer mentions in BUNKER77 “Hollywood is a big influence” to
kids growing up in LA, so there are people who are very aware of
perception and image making. Often times it gets pretentious… Miki,
Bunker and Tony Alva had a special bond. They saw themselves as public
icons and their need to be seen was mutual. In such obsession for style I
think exists drama worth reviewing. It’s also interesting that the rest
of the world is mesmerized by such projection of images. When I was a
teenager I definitely felt like I had to join in.
I guess the big question is: When did you hear for the first
time about Bunker Spreckels’ legend? And when did you decide to start
working on a documentary about his crazy life?
I first read about Bunker Spreckels from The Surfer’s Journal back in
Spring 1992. The entire volume was enlightening but that’s where I first
learned about him. I would ask questions to Art and Craig whenever we
had chance to hang out and in our Super X Media we published two
versions of a story on Bunker during the 90’s. When we published our 43
pages review on the Pacific Ocean Pier and Dogtown back in 1998 there
was an opportunity for me to learn how an article could become a
documentary film “The Dogtown and Z-boys” then eventually “Lords of
Dogtown.” I held closely to the rights of Bunker Spreckels and in 2005 I
decided that I wanted to make a movie about this guy’s life.
These biographical projects need lots of archival footage to
be successful. How did you manage to get all those personal films and
photos about Bunker? Did you discover anything new or any surprising
connection about him during the pre-production stages?
We had some fortune in working with archived material from Brewer and
Stecyk. The taped interview of Bunker by Craig is used as the narrative
spine of the film then the most of the film’s images come from Art
Brewer’s extensive photographs and films of Bunker. We also lucked into
some what considered lost family films along our way.
I really enjoy documentary shootings because they are like a
road trip into the main subject through the eyes of the interviewees.
How do you remember the shooting and the great conversations with Tony
Alva and Ellie Silva? Did you have a closed script beforehand or went
with the flow during the conversations? It seems that Ellie still had
vivid memories of those days…
I stayed curious and since there weren’t much information available on
Bunker, Just listened. Tony and Ellie were the closest to Bunker’s later
years. They were intimate like a family.
Many professionals say that documentaries became a reality
during the editing process. How was the editing and postproduction of “BUNKER77”? What about the soundtrack? The graphic design and the visual side are really impressive…
This was my first feature length film so I learned so much in every
phase. Ironically I used to take a personal joy in teaching people
becoming a surfer thus when I was putting together a film so many
friends from the creative community ended up contributing to the
process. I was introduced to some of the greats in pretty much all the
fields of visual and sound elements.
One of the aspects that I really enjoyed is how you use
excerpts from Clark Gable’s films to explain some passages of Bunker’s
life. When did you have that idea? Do you think Bunker enjoyed his fame
or he wanted to destroy everything around him, despite being a
millionaire?
I think we all impose on ourselves and to each other expectations. It
was no different for Bunker Spreckels. Bringing in Clark Gable’s films
seemed natural given that pressure to living to his legacy must had
occupied his mind. It was ironic that the character Elvis Presley played
in Blue Hawaii was sort of like Bunker so we played off on other
references from contemporary zeitgeist.
Nowadays it seems that surf documentaries are not only about
waves, but also an open window to other places, cultures and also
amazing characters. What was your aim making this film and what about
the feedback you have received in festivals? Dave Homcy, your
cinematographer, also directed an a surf documentary called “Beyond the Surface” in India…
For me I wanted to make a film that Bunker would be satisfied with. This
was a tall order but when Tony Alva or Ellie told me that they felt
that Bunker would had liked my film I was very pleased. Many people who
were close to Bunker told me that they learnt so much more from the film
and they were able to put his life more in context. I now know that
Bunker had puzzled many people even the closest to him.
“BUNKER77”
is not only a pop culture & surfing documentary, but also a
personal project that took so much time to become a reality. What have
you learn from the process? Are you the same guy that started it or your
personal ideas have changed in some way?
When I started making this film, I was still a bachelor but during the
production I had become a husband and a father to two kids. This
definitely added dimensions to my capacity as a person. Through making
the film I was able to ask many questions about “how to be” and it was
healthy to have Bunker’s life as a mirror board to deeply examine my own
life.
Spike Jonze said that your documentary is like “a prequel to Dogtown & Z-Boys”.
Were you influenced in some way by that film? Have you ever met Stacy
Peralta? You both have lots of things in common and you both have been
selected to Sundance…
Spike is an amazing filmmaker and he mentored me through some critical
phases. He was referencing Bunker being the conduit of LA’s surf culture
to the Dogtown skate culture. I respect Stacy very much and he made
such a great film about his own culture in his own great style. I hope
that I was able to come up with my own style of story telling with
BUNKER77.
To finish the interview, here comes the science fiction
question: If you had a time travel machine and could meet Bunker
Spreckels in 1976, what would you talk about? What would you like to do
in California in that year before punk became popular? I guess you two
would surf together…
It’s funny that he was a guy who rode on of the shortest boards at
Pipeline and I did the opposite with my longboards. I don’t know if he
would had liked hanging out with me or I with him in 1976. It would have
been a tough hang and many went down hard with him. We are both
independent filmmakers so that would have been fun to talk about as so
many cool indy films came out of Los Angeles around then. One thing is
for sure is that we would had fun in 1968 on the North Shore of Oahu
surfing as teenager kids who didn’t care too much.
ART BREWER
The year 1969 was a special time in your life because you had
just started working for Surfer Magazine as a photographer. How was
that experience and what was the magnitude of that publication those
days? Was John Severson still around?
Yes 1969 was a special year, I graduated from high school that year and
ended up being hired by John Severson to work for Surfer magazine at the
end of August and spent three months in Hawaii from Oct-Jan This was my
first time I’d ever been on the north shore while it was still magic
and uncrowned. I was lucky enough to work with a good friend and
mentor, cinematographer SPYDER WILLS and we had a car and gas allowance
along with a food budgetfrom Surfer plus a place to live right on the
beach at Pupukea.
After Spyder and I got set up John and Louise and their two daughters
Jenna and Anna showed up to share the house and work on John’s movie
Pacific Vibrations.
Surfer at that time was beginning to be thought of as the Bible of the sport.
Your first real encounter with Bunker was in October 1969,
when he was a teenager living in the North Shore. What was your
impression back then and how was he like? It seems that was also a very
special moment in his life, living like a savage in the forest…
Yes my first encounter with bunker was in October 1969 on the beach in
for the pipeline I was 18 bunker was 19 I didn’t really know him but I’d
heard of him from friends that went to school at Cal Western in San
Diego and they all surfed a spot called Newbrake that was in 1967 and
the first time I’ve ever heard Bunkers name mentioned. When I first met
Bunker at Pipeline face-to-face in 1969 I only knew of him through
friends that lived and shared a house on the north shore. That was where
he stayed from time to time and basically couch surfed stold their food
and spare change, Bunker also stayed a little bit up in the world war
II bunker on the hill above Pipeline. He was very thin without any body
fat, surfing every day poaching farmers fruit and avocado trees and
borrowing money from friends. He was living pretty much feral life,
taking a little bit of LSD and eating peyote. I got the feeling that
Bunker really didn’t have a care in the world living off the land and
his friends even though he came from money was like he didn’t have
any.He really fit the title of Greg Macgillivary’s an Jim Freeman‘s
Surfing film called “Free and Easy”
In the documentary you explain that you took several photos
of him alone on the beach. But what really caught your attention was his
strange looking board. Why was it so weird back then?
When I first met Bunker face-to-face what I really saw was like a ca
mirror image that looked like a lot of the rest of us on the north shore
blond haired haloe boys with the bowl haircuts that all had the ocean
and surfing in common. We were in our element, I think the Alma board
was interesting and fascinating by design but I think the real
attraction was his energy and power sitting there in the beautiful light
before the sunset. I think he might’ve been on LSD too , because he
seemed to have a aura a bought him that he gave off sitting behind the
red Alma board.
The project didn’t come until years later but it all started with about a
dozen or so images that I took that afternoon at Pipeline in 1969. One
image of him on the beach sitting behind the red Alma board had a lot of
power in it and back at Surfer magazine the photo editor Brad Barrett
had done some cropped in slide copies of that one image of Bunker with
the board. A magazine editor at Popular Photography saw the image and
wanted to use it as a cover but I needed a model release this was about a
year and a half after I had taken the image so I contacted Bunker
through a friend and sent Bunker a letter, I heard back about from him
two weeks later with him telling me NO I won’t sign a release and that
pissed me off so I sent him a letter back going off on him about him
being this poor fucking rich kid and to fuck off that was the end of
Conversation until 1973.
You met him again 2 years later, when Surfer Magazine decided
to make a film with him in South Africa and you were hired as the
filmmaker. Can you explain us how that crazy project started? What
Bunker’s aim and who was involved?
I think it was January, Bunker happen to show up at a friends house
where I living at the time and he didn’t know I was living there and ran
into me and struck up a conversation talking about SurfingThis was
after, he had inherited all this money a year or so earlier. He had
shown in this Mercedes 450 SL convertible top down with two surfboards
In the passenger seat this was during the time where nobody had money
and cars like that on the north shore and the way he dressed no shirt
with a suit vest and bell bottom whit stretch pants and Bruce Lee style
martial arts slippers on.He had been training in martial arts with
professor Chow a Grand master that had trained Ed Parker who was thought
to be the father of American martial arts. Bunker had seeked the
training because of some altercations on Kauai after inheriting his
fortune. Bunker was much larger and stronger looking from when I first
met him at Pipeline and first photograph him, he looked like he had all
this power.
Two days after that bunker showed up atwhere I was staying and ask me if
I wanted to go surfing or possibly might want to go shoot some photos
at Rocky Point so I took off with him, he was writing a little 5’7 Lis
fish and I happen to take a couple more photos of him surfing that were
pretty good. About a week or two later I got a phone call from Bunker
asking if I’d like to go to Kauai and hang out and surf and possibly
shoot some pictures. He would pay for my airfare and feed me so I took
him up on it went to Kauai and met him his girlfriend and the caretaker
of his house and his wife. During that trip he pulled out the letter
that I had sent him years earlier telling them to fuck off and he wanted
to let me know why he didn’t want that photo published at that time, it
was because the image had a lot of contrast strong light in the dark in
that image and it happened to make him revisit a time when he taking a
lot of LSD and peyote and he saw the devil and God in that image it had
spooked him.
After that trip I was asked back quite a few times over the next year
and a half maybe four or five times and we became friends. Bunker liked
me Because I wasn’t interested in this money I didn’t want his money I
didn’t have any scams that needed his money like 80 percent of his
friends I think that’s why he liked hanging out surfing shooting
pictures.
Then In the spring of 1975 bunker ask me what I was planning to do that
summer I said I was going down to Puerto Escondido Mexico to a wave that
had just been publicized in Surfer. I was interested in Mexico because
it was cheap and I had very little money I worked putting pulling weeds
in a friends banana patch and shooting a few images for Surfer magazine
which was Bi-monthly, I was basically getting bye.
Then Bunker brought up Jeffrey’s Bay in South Africa and asked me if I
was interested in going to Jeffrey’s Bay in South Africa that summer, I
said sure I’d love to go there, all he said was perfect and that we will
go. I’m a realist so my thought was I’ll believe it when I see it or do
it.
Then about two months 2 1/2 months pass when I get a call from Bunker
asking me to come to Honolulu and asking you do have a passport. I say
yes, he says come in to Honolulu tomorrow afternoon and show up at his
apartment at the Ala moana towers. After I arrive he takes Ellie and I
down to the Pan-American airline offices and purchases three first class
tickets around the world, then proceeds to tell me the itinerary
telling me all he wants in exchange for the trip is for me to do bring
my Surfboards, cameras and shoot stills and movies. All expenses will be
paid by him and we will be leaving at the end of June and first stop
would be Los Angeles to pick up some extra movie equipment and build
some water housings. The film and still project only involved myself
Bunker and Ellie to start with. Even though I had contacted surfer and
asked them if they would be interested in an article about this trip
they said yes but weren’t willing to give me any money . So Bunker and I
went down to meet with Steve Pezman when we got to LA. We stayed at the
Beverly Hills hotel for a week and a half while picking up film and
movie equipment. Then off for London for a week then South Africa. It
was during our trip between Johannesburg and Durban SA we met a guy from
Australia that had just been released from prison in Australia named
David Landsley who was going to Durban to surf and work as a boiler
maker and restart his life after he’d thrown a man off the second floor
of a house after a fight with the man because the guy had tried to rape
his wife. Bunker hired David on the plane to work for him and help drive
the second Mercedes , David became Bunkers personal roadie.
How do you remember that road trip with a Mercedes-Benz from
Durban to Jeffreys Bay in the mid 70’s? There are some great black &
white photos of Bunker playing with some local kids and we must
remember that was during the heyday of Apartheid…
The road trip from Durban to Jeffreys Bay normally a 8 to10 hours drive
but a policeman named Gary Purkis had befriended bunker and decided to
give him special directions to get to Jeffreys Bay, the normal eight
hour trip turned into a 24hour hell trip because Gary sent us down a
roundabout way through the Transkei of South Africa with all these black
townships and dirt roads and during the trip we blew out 4 tires on the
two Mercedes. The night driving was crazy we would run into these
groups of black men in full length jumpsuits with full black beanies
where you could only see the eyes and mouths out in the middle of
nowhere in the middle of the night . And Bunker would decide to stop
when he saw group of them and would pull out a bottle Cane spirits and
stand in the blackness of night and Drink with them. Little did anyone
know that Bunker was armed with two pistols. It was a very crazy trip
from hell.
Bunker it been to South Africa two years earlier so he had some black
friends in Jeffrey‘s bay and when Bunker came to town all hell would
break loose, they would put on a show for the white people and Jeffreys
were Bunker with chase the black people around in front of the Savoy
Hotel in his Mercedes and the local black people would run jump and dive
to get out of the way and not get ran over as he chased him in the
car through town . He wasn’t being mean or tiring to hurt them it was a
game they played with Bunker then drank Cane spirits together and the
whites hated it. . There was a lot of crazy things that went on when we
stayed at the Savoy Hotel in Jeffreys which was the only hotel open in
town, my room happen to be right above the black bar and I remember one
morning on a Sunday I heard this ruckus going on and look out the window
and see this white man chasing a black man out of the bar with a broom
the black person was on fire because one of the other black men in the
bar happen to play a so called joke on his friend as he was cleaning his
trousers with cleaning fluid and the guy set a match to him and the man
caught fire, the white man with the broom was tiring to but out the
fire. In the end the guy on fire wasn’t injured. Bunker likes the local
black kids and would go up into the townships in his car and bring
presents for them and play and show them martial arts with them he loved
it and they like him because he was a crazy American.
Bunker was playing a weird character named “The Player” in
the film, behaving like a surfer version of Elvis. How much do you think
he acted and how much do you think it was real from his personal
attitude?
The name of the player came from a book that Bunker had studied and
highlighted and underlined it was called “The Player” the philosophy and
the life of a black pimp” that’s where the name came from it became a
part that he play as he traveled through South Africa you might say was
his alter ego he also claimed that he was a porno film producer when he
arrived in South Africa as it was reported in the news papers which
caused quite a stir he told the reporters this to get a reaction, but in
reality there was nothing to it. Bunker liked being controversial and
playing a part making people think that he was more than what he was all
he was doing was putting on a show giving them something to talk about
in Jeffreys Bay which was a very quiet and boring place with nothing to
do besides Surfing. We got kicked out of the Savoy hotel after he broke
the sink when trying to make a chillum out of a Coke bottle to smoke
some Durban poison he wanted to give the local whites something to talk
about. Like when he had his birthday party at the Beach Hotel where we
stayed after being kicked out of the Savoy. The Beach hotel was closed
but he talked to the owners and made them an offer if they’d open it up
and let us stay there
At his birthday he put on a big party with dancing and free drinks and
invited the whole town to attended and after too much drinking things
started to go south when a South African farmer became overly friendly
with his girlfriend Ellie. Short version is all hell broke loose and the
two Mercedes were totaled and the next day I quit working for him and
ended up being spot at by Bunker with his 25 cal PPK Walther pistol. 10
days later he came to me asking me to come back and take pictures.
His girlfriend Ellie was also travelling with the film crew
and appeared in “End Of Summer”. How was their relationship like? Do you
think that she wanted to change him in some way?
Ellie was Bunkers girlfriend and traveling partner it somewhat seemed
like a real love affair. I think he truly loved and cared for her. There
was no big film crew just me and David Landsley Ellie just hung out
went to the beach watch the surfing and be with Bunker. She was there
the whole time. As far as Ellie changing Bunker I think all was good
until we arrived back in the United States after the trip because he
was dabbling in heroin and she didn’t like seeing him that way because
she cared and loved him , but after about 6-8 months eventually she left
and went to San Francisco hoping that he would clean up his act. He was
living in Los Angeles and Spyder and I would go see him when he was
living at the Sunset towers and check on him. Spyder was working on the
film Decato which was like a long screen test where Bunker acted out his
extreme side on film sometimes not knowing if it was real or put on. We
didn’t see a lot of Bunker the summer of 1976 and when he left to go
back to the North Shore and Kauai the winter of 1976 Ellie didn’t go
with him.
Besides all the craziness, Bunker caught some amazing waves
in J-Bay and you shoot him with your camera. What do you think surfing
meant to him? Maybe that was the only time when he could reach some
peace of mind and get away from all the chaos around his persona…
Yes surfing was why we were in South Africa and Bunker was a very good
surfer very powerful and liked and surfed in many different styles of
surfing using different boards from knee boards to Steve Lis fishes and
long boards. When he surfed he put on a show. He preformed like nobody
else at Jeffreys Bay or Bruce’s Beauties surfing his 5’7” fish Big
Black Faith gun at Jeffreys he had a certain sense surfing a called
what he was doing a “Dance”. He loved surfing and when he was in the
water he seemed to have sense of peace. As watermen say the Ocean tends
to cleanse you.
How was your friendship with Bunker once you returned to the
US? Did you see him again or even went out with him? Did he ever tell
you about his projects or his drug related problems?
The day after we return to the United States from the trip I left went
back to Laguna Beach because I didn’t like what I was seeing with Bunker
and the drugs. Ellie was there it seemed like she was sort of a hostage
they were staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel and entourage of people
showed up the night that we arrived back I knew some of these people and
I really didn’t want to be around them so I left and went back to
Laguna. After a week I went back to Hawaii an only stayed a few weeks,
then pack up my stuff and sold the car that a friend had crashed and
ended up getting a job back at Surfer working in their photographic
darkroom starting to print all the Black and Whites from the trip.
Bunker was still up in LA he got an apartment at the Sunset Towers and
he’d call and we’d talk . Spyder and I eventually we went up to see him
and stayed at the Hyatt hotel across the street from where he lived, at
that point I knew that he was on the edge so I kept taking photographs
of Bunker, and Spyder filmed but we always kept our distance because he
was losing it and becoming more drugged out and weak both mentally and
physically not surfing and hanging with Hollywood people that thought he
had money. He was always talking about projects and things that
involved surfing , skateboarding, music and film that he wanted to do
and he would introduce us to people that he was going to work with in
the end it seemed like just more talk than doing, there was a lot of
talk but not a lot of action he was too fucked up.
And the last question is: do you remember when you received the news about him passing away? I have heard it happened in Hawaii…
There’s a lot that went down the winter of 1976 in Hawaii , I wasn’t
there and didn’t want to be on the north shore, it had gotten really bad
with all the heroin there.
CR Stecyk was approached by Rolling Stone to spend some time with Bunker
and interview him on the North Shore at the Kui Lima hotel now the
“Turtle Bay”
Rolling Stone already had the Black and White prints and colored slides
and was just waiting for the audio tapes to be transcribed after CR had
gotten back from Hawaii.
Then one night of both CR and I got a call middle of the night January
5, 1977 from Bunker threatening to have us both killed unless that
article for Rolling Stone was published sooner than later. Neither CR
nor I had any control over Rolling Stone ever running the article. So we
blew it off.
Two days later I got a call the morning of January 7, 1977 .It was from
my friend Rory Russell who had received a call from Randy Rarrick
telling him that Bunker had died on Oahu at a guy named Charlie Sneed’s
house at Rocky Point, Charlie was a east coast coke dealer. Bunker died
at his house after Charlie and his wife had gone to bed. Bunker was in
the front room and had been drinking heavily doing coke and had taken
Quaaludes as he was tiring to get off heroin and go back to Los Angeles
to go into detox. Bunker died just like Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and
Jim Morrison at 27 years old.
When CR and I talked later that morning we couldn’t believe it , we both thought he pulling off one of his shows.
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